Gamer of Mana
by Manifested Earth
Summary: One day while walking to the mailbox, Sean Rent was snatched by a singing pelican and brought to the world of Fa'Diel. Now tasked with restoring the Tree of Mana, how will Sean survive in a land beset by demons, dragons, and monsters of all shapes and sizes. Kiss that new 100k job and comfy lifestyle goodbye. Gamer Fic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana.

**Update (3/8/2020): I looked at Chapter 1 again recently and I felt that Sean might have been too angry after arriving in Fa'Diel. He should be angry, but not to the extent he was. I still have the first version of this chapter which was previously posted on this site.**

**The Author's Notes at the bottom of the page are from 7/7/2019 when I first posted the story. I made a few changes to this chapter, but I don't think they'll conflict with anything that happens later. I apologize to anyone who was expecting a new chapter. I've also started typing Chapter 9 and a Stats Page for Sean. I plan to wrap up the first little arc within the next two to three chapters (Chapter 9-11).**

Nine centuries ago, the Mana Tree burned to ashes. The power of Mana lived on inside Mana stones, enchanted instruments, and artifacts. Sages fought with each other for control of these last remnants of Mana.

Then, after hundreds of years of war, as the power of Mana began to wane, those who sought it grew scarce, and the world returned to peace.

After that, mankind grew afraid to desire. Their hearts filled with empty emotions, and grew estranged from my hands. They turned their eyes away from my infinite power, and were troubled by their petty disputes.

Remember me!

Need me!

I can provide you with everything!

I am love.

Find me, and walk beside me.

Chapter 1: Arrival

Blood thundered in his ears like the drums of a marching band as Sean lie there, too stunned to move. The dirt path he rested on led to a cozy, little country cottage. Wings flapped loudly above him as the one responsible for his current state took off, leaving behind a single blue feather.

"Another-other successful delivery!" The big-billed pelican sang merrily as it disappeared into the clear blue sky.

Sean breathed heavily, his chest rising with each intake of air. The aftereffect of his impromptu flight still lingered in his heart. Ever since he was a child, Sean always had a healthy fear of heights. The paralyzing agent slowly bled its way out of him, allowing him to recollect his bearings.

"Holy shit." Sean rubbed his face in relief. Part of him wanted to cry. "I can't believe I'm alive."

He tried standing, but his legs hadn't changed back from being noodles yet. They shook as if Sean just completed a set of 100 squats and he fell down despite his earnest effort to stay upright. He barely avoided eating dirt by catching himself with his right hand.

Sean laughed wryly. _"My new boss is going to be so fucking pissed I'm late."_ He paused in thought. _"Although that might not even matter now."_

His new black suit was covered in dirt and pieces of grass. The day was hot and muggy and Sean could already feel himself building up a light sweat under the intense gaze of the blinding sun. All of this took a back seat, however, as the young man quickly realized where he was.

"_This can't be the Legend of Mana, can it?"_

Sean has read his fair share of stories where a person was transported somewhere. But, they were exactly that. Stories! In face of the evidence, with the warmth on his skin and the smell of freshly cut grass dancing in his nose, it couldn't be anything else but reality. Sean's beaten the game 3 or 4 times over the course of his life so he recognized his new setting almost right away.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and loosened the collar of his white, button-down undershirt. Sean removed his black suit and tie and made to stand. A gentle breeze combed through his hair and carried the blue feather to him like a courier.

Sean examined the feather, turning it side to side. _"I should probably track Pelican down."_ He clenched the feather just short of damaging it. _"And find out if that bitch can send me home."_ If she was anything like in the video game, then Sean knew that Pelican carried no malicious intent. Still, part of him demanded he get back at her for the screw up.

**Quest Alert!**

**Polly Want a Smacker?**

**For one reason or another, you have been brought to the world of Fa'Diel by a blue-feathered pelican against your will. Show the mail carrier why doing such a thing was a bad idea.**

**Success: Decreased Reputation with Pelican, ?, ?**

**Failure: ?, ?, ?**

**Accept?**

**Y/N**

"Huh?" Sean was nonplussed by the blue box's sudden appearance. He poked the screen with his right finger and found it to be solid. The physical contact produced a ripple effect.

Sean overcame his bafflement and pressed the 'Y' selection.

The box disappeared, sure to be the first of many. Sean brushed his pants clean and gave the nearby house a better look. The dirt road stretched over a crystal clear stream to its front steps. A big tree hugged the back of the house like a lover and cast a cooling shade onto its yellow, thatched roof.

Being new here, in person, Sean walked towards the house to find directions. He wasn't sure if the hero was home or even what gender they were since the game allowed the player to choose. He still needed to try. However, his destination was blocked by a unique individual.

The creature was a humanoid plant with large, orange eyes and green tinted skin. The rest of its body, sans its non-existent nose, was made of green leaves with pink leaves stretched out to the sides of its head like butterfly wings. Two large pieces of wood acted as its feet and both hands ended in five bulbous tips. Vines wrapped around its neck like a scarf and a white-petaled flower rested in the middle.

"Hello!" The creature called cheerfully, smiling and waving their little hand in greeting.

"Uh, yeah, hi," Sean replied, a little put off by the salutation. "I'm Sean Rent." He reached forward for a handshake, finding it the proper thing to do. "Could you tell me where I am?"

"I'm a Sproutling!" The creature stated with great exuberance. The handshake went unaccepted. "You're at home!"

"Okay, but whose home?" Sean asked patiently.

"Your home!"

"This isn't my home nor has it even been." Sean's home was a decent apartment back in the States. Funny enough, he did think of moving to another place. This wasn't what he had in mind, though.

"You're playing with me, aren't you?" The Sproutling asked, smile never leaving. "This place was shaped by your imagination. So is the world. Didn't you know that?" The Sproutling fully believed what it was saying, no doubt or uncertainty found in its tone.

Sean pinched the bridge of his nose. "All right, look," he started, trying not to get irritated. "Do you know if anyone is home?"

"Only you are," the Sproutling said simply.

"Okay, thank you for your time, but I have to get going."

"Don't go!" The Sproutling shouted when Sean made to leave. "I have something for you!"

From seemingly nowhere, the plant person pulled out a wooden box. There was a collection of old, children's building blocks inside of it. The blocks were colored with green and the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

**Item Obtained!**

**[Legendary] Artifact: Colorblocks**

**The town changes through the ages according to its citizens. It doesn't change to accommodate a new age. It changes to bring about a new age.**

**Allows the artificer entrance into the town of Domina.**

**Title Gained!**

**New Title: Artificer**

**This title allows the user to unleash the magic contained within various artifacts. This title doesn't need to be equipped to take effect.**

"Pokiehl the poet told me that the town of Domina exists because I think so." The plant said while Sean became pensive. "People say this world isn't an illusion, but the Sproutlings know!"

"Thanks." _"Now I can track that bird down."_

"If you can't find Domina, use your imagination to find it," the Sproutling supplied helpfully.

"Well, I'm off now." Sean walked away towards the house, deep in thought. _"Am I here by accident or was this planned?"_

When he reached the front door, Sean found it was unlocked and set the artifact down on a nearby chair. This was followed by his suit and tie over the back. The living area was just as he remembered it, evoking nostalgia and welcoming him like an old friend.

Sean smiled as he took in everything.

The door to the study was to the right of the entrance. The right half of the floor was wooden while the left half was stone for the dining room. A red rug covered part of the stone. A table surrounded by six chairs sat on top of the rug next to a rocking chair and an unlit fireplace.

The view into the kitchen was partially blocked by a bead curtain. A wooden board sat over the entryway. The outline of a fish was carved into it. Aside from a single loaf of bread, the kitchen was barren of food. A dusty aroma permeated the kitchen and Sean found some when he dragged his finger along the countertop. The scent reminded him of digging through his parents' attic.

Sean found no one else while he explored the house, but he did come across a smiling cactus who he was pretty sure was alive. It remained unresponsive when he tried talking to it and it didn't move or blink despite Sean waving his hand in front of the cactus' face. Sean didn't come away empty-handed from this seemingly fruitless interaction.

Once he stared at the cactus long enough, there was another pop-up.

**You've gained a new skill!**

**Observe (Passive/Active) Lvl 1 [33%] Cost: 5 MP**

**Through continuous observation, a skill to observe objects, situations, and people was generated that allows for quick information gathering. The higher the skill, the greater the data observed.**

**You can see information on people up to 20 Lvls above you.**

**Lvl 1: The user can see the target's stats and a basic description.**

**Name: Li'l Cactus**

**Race: Cactus, ?**

**Level: Lvl 2**

**HP: 100/100**

**MP: 50/50**

**STR: 3**

**VIT: 4**

**DEX: 2**

**INT: 2**

**WIS: 2**

**LUK: 1**

**Description: A shy little cactus. He is a cactus of few words, but he happens to be thinking about many things.**

In the master bedroom, where the cactus was, there was a bunch of leaves hanging from a nail on the support beam. The words "Cactus Diaries" were written at the top of the first leaf.

Sean plopped down at the dining room table to plan his next course of action in case the worst came to pass.

"Well," Sean started, trying to stay positive. "At least I didn't end up somewhere worse." Images of Resident Evil, Garage: Bad Dream Adventure, and Endless Ocean passed through his mind. "Could've been pretty fucking awful." That wasn't to say that this new world didn't come with its own brand of challenges.

Sean didn't even know what he did, if anything, for Pelican to grab him. All he did was try to mail a letter before heading off to his new job. And, earlier in life, there wasn't anything that stood out to him to make him kidnap-worthy.

"But what if there's trouble on the way to Domina?" He uttered after a brief pause. Like all other RPGs, there was an abundance of monsters out there, ready and willing to make a meal out of him.

Sean followed this train of thought and searched for a weapon to defend himself. He found one in a teal and golden chest sitting close by. A standard, one-handed sword sat inside, along with a pouch of 100 Lucre, this world's currency, in coins of varying sizes and amounts. Three books detailing different spells waited for him next to the sword.

**Item Obtained!**

**[Common] Menos Sword Durability: 100/100**

**A long sword that was forged from Menos Bronze. Most are double-edged and have sharp tips. The sword is considered a holy weapon due to the precious metals it is made from. It is wielded in one hand, so the rate of movement is average.**

**Attack: +10**

**Effect: Grants access to one-handed sword techniques.**

**Skill Books Obtained!**

**[Common] Basic Spell: Cure**

**[Common] Basic Spell: Fire**

**[Common] Basic Spell: Repair**

**Would you like to learn them?**

**Y/N**

Sean pressed 'Y', showing no hesitation, and watched the books vanish. The information suddenly flew into his mind and he winced in pain and rubbed the side of his noggin.

**You have learned three new spells!**

**Cure (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 20 MP**

**This spell heals a small amount of damage dealt to the user or someone else. At higher levels, the spell will be able to heal more damage.**

**Effect: Heals 1% HP**

**Fire (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 5 MP**

**This is the most basic fire spell and deals a small amount of damage to enemies. This spell can be altered to form different attacks. At higher levels, the spell will deal more damage.**

**Effect: Has 1% chance to inflict burn status**

**Repair (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: Varies**

**A basic spell that can come in handy in life. It allows the user to repair or fix just about anything. The cost of the spell is dependent upon factors such as the size and complexity of the thing the user is trying to fix.**

"This should work all right for now," Sean spoke quietly as he attached the sword to his hip and stuck the money in his pocket. "Finding that bird shouldn't be too hard."

He grabbed the box containing the "Colorblocks" AF and went right out the door. If he had given a closer look, Sean might've noticed the folded-up note at the bottom of the chest. There was a message on the note which would assuredly dash any hopes of Sean leaving.

**Quest Alert!**

**Restore the Tree of Mana**

**Nine centuries ago, the Mana Tree burned to ashes. The power of Mana lived on inside Mana stones, enchanted instruments, and artifacts. Sages fought with each other for control of these last remnants of Mana.**

**Then, after hundreds of years of war, as the power of Mana began to wane, those who sought it grew scarce, and the world returned to peace.**

**That's not to say that the Mana Tree didn't return, however, and still bearing the scars of these conflicts, a rotting corruption took ahold of the mighty tree.**

**Succeed: Varying Exp, ?, ?, ?**

**Failure: Death, Destruction of Fa'Diel, ?**

**This quest cannot be refused.**

Sean would eventually discover this.

"Neat," He said in the distance. "There is an inventory."

But things didn't have to be as bad as they seemed. After all, our lives are in our hands.

**Author's Notes: This idea has been bothering me for a while so I decided to go ahead and write a chapter. I actually did post a chapter of this story over a year ago, but it wasn't up for very long since I was getting kind of tired of writing at the time. For those who remember, I had written a story called Slender Theory which was okay, but something I wasn't exactly satisfied with.**

**Someone on the site actually did contact me awhile back asking for Slender Theory, but the drive that the story was on crapped out on me due to age so I don't have the story anymore and I don't have it saved anywhere. I probably won't bring it back. Still thanks for having read and enjoyed it to those who did.**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this and there is no set update schedule so I'll type whenever.**

**I would also appreciate it if people could leave some reviews and tell me what they think of the story so that I can improve my writing. I think I'll show Sean's stats next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana.

Chapter 2: Domina

"Since there's an inventory," Sean muttered as he walked down the dirt path away from the house. "Then there should be a stats box as…" Sean paused as his status screen appeared before him.

**Name: Sean Rent**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Artificer**

**Age: 21**

**Level: Lvl 1 Next Level: 0/200**

**HP: 300/300 Regen: (3.6) per minute**

**TP: 900/900 Regen: (24.3) per minute**

**MP: 300/300 Regen: (4.95) per minute**

**STR: 8**

**VIT: 12**

**DEX: 28**

**INT: 12**

**WIS: 11**

**SPI: 5**

**LUK: 4**

**Synchro Effect: HP Recovery Lvl 1**

**Stat Points: 5**

**Lucre: 100**

**Skill List:**

**Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lvl Max**

**Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effects.**

**Gamer's Body (Passive) Lvl Max**

**Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. Sleeping in a bed restores HP, TP, MP and removes all negative status effects.**

**Cure (Active) Lvl 1**

**Fire (Active) Lvl 1**

**Repair (Active) Lvl 1**

**Observe (Passive/Active) Lvl 1**

Sean proceeded to click on each stat to ensure they worked the way he thought they did.

**Attributes**

**Title:** A designation that one owns. It can give extra perks or statistics and can be obtained through special actions.

**TP:** Tech points act similar to stamina in determining how many special techniques one can perform with either their body or weapons. Basic weapon usage and moves such as a punch or kick cost no TP. The amount of TP is found as follows: (STR * 25) + (DEX * 25). TP regen is found by this formula: ((STR * 0.075%) + (DEX * 0.075%)) * TP.

**HP:** Health points represent how much health one has. In most cases, once your HP reaches zero, that's game over.

**MP:** Mana points are used to cast spells. Many don't have the ability to cast magic so purely with the current state of the world.

**Strength (STR):** This is how strong you are. Adding points to this will increase physical strength, attack power, and HP regeneration. 1 point = +.15% increase in HP regen.

**Vitality (VIT):** This is how many health points you have. 1 point = +25 HP.

**Dexterity (DEX):** This stat determines your overall speed. It also affects hit chance, evasion, and accuracy and plays a role in determining damage with a bow or firearm.

**Intelligence (INT):** This stat determines the size of your mana pool. It can also affect your learning speed, boost memorization, and allow for quick thinking in various situations, among other things. 1 point = +25 MP.

**Wisdom (WIS):** In contrast to intelligence, more information gained through reading, wisdom pertains more to world experience and common sense. This stat affects mana regeneration and magic resistance. 1 point = +.15% in MP regen and +1 point = +.15% in Magic Resistance.

**Spirit (SPI) (1):** Much like one can strengthen their body through exercise, so too can one exercise their magic through training. This stat affects the power and effectiveness of one's spells.

**Luck (LUK):** This stat affects your luck and can turn the tide in your favor. Adding points can do things such as increasing the chance of rare drops, finding special items, and landing critical hits.

**Synchro Effect:** This is a special ability that comes into effect when in close proximity to a party member. There are various effects such as higher HP recovery, stronger attacks, and more money.

**Effect:** HP Recovery Lvl 1:

**Boosts HP regen by 30% when within 20 ft of a party member while standing still.**

"Well," Sean started after having closed the status box. "At least these attributes are basically the same as in most other RPGs."

It was only a few minutes later that Sean began to wonder. "How in the hell am I supposed to unleash the power within this artifact anyway?" He asked himself quietly, so deep in thought that he didn't notice his surroundings start to blur. It wasn't until the sun dimmed, bringing a sudden chill, that he was shaken from his reverie.

Sean watched as fields of grass and the path beneath his feet vanished, only to be replaced by a small circle of land on a large map. Scattered about, there were areas of glowing white light that were completely vacant of anything whether that be a town, city, or natural environment. Sure, there were illustrations of seas and hills on the map, but the only location Sean could see was his home.

The farther away from him the map went, the darker it became. Meanwhile, the sun shined brighter onto him like a spotlight as if an invisible audience was watching, waiting with anticipation to see what Sean was going to do.

Being familiar with the game, yet still not sure what to do next, Sean's attention was caught by the sudden brilliance of the artifact. "Woah!" He said in surprise as the artifact thrummed with the power of mana, causing him to drop the wooden box. Sean backed up a bit and watched the "Colorblocks" AF move to the spot directly north of his house where it landed on the map.

The artifact then let off blue sparkles as the blocks shifted into buildings and the town of Domina was formed.

Sean let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "Amazing." There really wasn't much else he could say than that.

Gazing at the newly formed town, Sean thought to try one of his new abilities.

'Observe'

**Domina**

**A lively town frequented by traveling merchants and entertainers. The outskirts boast a church with a fabulous view of the countryside.**

"Not too informative," Sean uttered before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh, well."

He put the wooden box into his inventory and headed towards the town, ruminating about where he might be in the game's timeline. Everything blurred once more as Sean's house disappeared and Domina came into view.

Upon entering the town, Sean didn't see Duelle asking for Elazul's name, but merely simplistic, everyday life with people dotted here and there going about their business.

To his left, there was a shop that sold weapons and other equipment if Sean recalled correctly. Ahead of him, there was a pub with a sign in the shape of a sideways bottle above the entrance. Beneath the yellow, thatched roof, the sign read "Amanda & Barrett's."

To the left of that, there was a hotel named "Mana's Blessing" where a nearby Sproutling was yammering on about how much he enjoyed nature. A tan-skinned man wearing a turban and sporting a goatee was sweeping dirt off of the short, stone walkway leading up to the hotel's front doors. The man frowned in the Sproutling's direction, but continued doing his job.

"_Just be glad you aren't working in customer service,"_ Sean thought, once upon a time having worked in a computer store with entitled consumers whining about this and that.

"You lost?" A voice asked.

Sean looked around before the clearing of someone's throat drew his attention downwards.

The person who addressed him was the size of a small child wearing what at first appeared to be an onion shaped helmet, but was actually a part of him. This was especially true since Sean couldn't see any eyes through the holes in the "helmet" and upon closer observation, saw the helmet was connected to his light skin. Four small leaves actually grew from the top of his head.

The little onion wore a blue garment around his whole torso with a red string used to tie the loose cloth around the neck closed. On each arm, he wore two golden bracelets and carried with him a pole arm consisting of a wooden shaft and a one-sided blade with a red ribbon tied around where the two met.

'Observe' _"Might as well level up the skill."_

**Name: Duelle**

**Race: Onion Person**

**Title: Onion Warrior**

**Age: ?**

**Level: Lvl 9**

**HP: 531.25/531.25**

**TP: 450/450**

**MP: 800/800**

**STR: 10**

**VIT: 17**

**DEX: 8**

**INT: 32**

**WIS: 43**

**SPI: 3**

**LUK: 5**

**Synchro Effect: ?**

**Perk: ?**

**Description: An onion warrior. He likes everything straight-forward, and hates people like Niccola (2) with a passion.**

"_Niccola?"_ "Sorry about that," Sean said, thinking there might be an error with the system. "Have you seen a blue bird around here? It might have been singing."

"Pelican messed up another delivery, didn't she?" Duelle asked rhetorically.

"Yeah," Sean answered. "She took me for an aerial tour when I was just trying to mail a letter."

"If you're looking to complain, then you're wasting your time." Duelle said simply. "Criticism doesn't register with her."

"Are there any other mail carriers around?" Sean asked, planning to tell his new boss he was having car trouble to excuse his tardiness. That is, if he made it back home. "I'm late for work and I know my boss is gonna be pissed."

"Tough break. Pelican's the only one I've ever seen," Duelle replied, putting a damper on things.

"Do you think trying to mail myself back home would work?" Sean asked, somewhat doubting the idea actually would.

Duelle shook his head. "That's not a good idea." He responded without having to think about it. "It could work, but more than likely you'll end up somewhere else."

Sean snorted at the absurdity of it. "Why is she the only mail carrier if she messes up so often?" Sean asked frustratedly.

"She must do well enough," Duelle answered, readjusting his grip on his weapon.

"Do you know where she is anyway?" Sean inquired.

"She usually spends her time in the northwestern part of town past the Park of the Mana Angel." Duelle informed.

"Thanks," Sean said before trying to walk away.

"Hey!" Duelle called.

"Yeah?" Sean turned his head to look back.

"Aren't you gonna introduce yourself?" Duelle asked.

"I'm Sean Rent. Nice to meet you." He offered a handshake.

Duelle returned it with his left hand. "I am Duelle, Onion Warrior!" Duelle stated, somehow proud of that fact.

Sean was going to leave again when a thought struck him. "Hey, Duelle. You haven't seen any Jumis lately have you?"

"No, why?" Duelle asked with a tilt of the head.

"No particular reason," Sean replied. "Well, I have to get going. See you later."

Having said goodbye, Sean followed a path to the western part of town. He ended up crossing over a small stream via a wooden footbridge into the Park of the Mana Angel that Duelle had mentioned. The park was simply a circular clearing with a water fountain in the middle. In the center of the fountain, there was a statue of a robed angel standing on a pedestal with a staff in its right hand. Four continuous streams of water shot from the sides of the platform.

Around the edges of the clearing, there were a number of wooden benches spaced evenly apart under the shade of green-leafed trees.

Upon entering the park, Sean was beckoned by the call of the accordion, whose music was playing from a strange grinder-gramophone-wheelchair contraption being cranked by a sad-looking fish boy. Standing next to him, there was a juggling monkey decked out in some kind of circus getup. The monkey, with a beaming smile on his face, stood in stark contrast to the kid.

Though Sean liked the accordion, he felt it best to keep looking for Pelican. However, when he reached the northwestern area of town, he just saw a few houses with some people doing laundry and tending to their gardens. There was one small building that acted as a post office, but Pelican was nowhere to be found.

"Shit," Sean cursed before sighing. _"I'm not going home am I?"_ He rubbed the side of his head.

Deciding to give up for the moment, Sean turned his thoughts elsewhere.

"Duelle said that he hasn't seen any Jumi lately, so Elazul most likely hasn't shown up yet." Sean figured, going along with the game's script for the time being. "And what was that thing about Niccola? Not to mention, when am I?"

**Quest Alert!**

**Find your bearings**

**A stranger to the world of Fa'Diel, you find yourself lacking a point from which to move forward. Look for more information and discover when you are in the timeline and how to proceed.**

**Succeed: 50 Exp**

**Failure: Unforeseen Consequences**

"And that just presents another problem," Sean muttered. "How do I level up if I can't get my hands on the other artifacts?" In the game, there weren't that many enemies to fight at either his home or in Domina. "I mean," He huffed. "There are daily quests, but they usually don't net the same amount of experience as a main or side quest."

Before he could think any further, Sean's stomach started to rumble as he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. It wasn't a true hunger, but it felt more like an emptiness where something was missing or lost.

With that, he decided he'd go take a load off and get a bite to each back at Amanda & Barrett's. Walking back to the center of town, Sean entered the pub with still no Elazul or Niccola in sight.

The pub looked as expected. A bar stood to his left with enough seating for five patrons and fully stocked with alcohol. In front of Sean, there was a stairway leading up to a second floor and on the first floor, tables were scattered about with enough seating at each table for four people. The room was lit by a combination of light streaming in from the windows and the chandelier overhead with glowing red bulbs.

Sean saw some other patrons, but the place wasn't that busy. He guessed it was maybe three in the afternoon judging from the sun. This meant there was a time difference between here and his home world since it was 7 AM when he was snatched. _"How much of a difference is there though?"_ Sean dreaded the answer.

He heard minimal chatter as he took a seat by one of the windows and started looking over the menu, his mouth already salivating from the smell of chicken and steak intermixed with the aroma of freshly baked goods and coffee. Sean swallowed and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. He became less sure of what to order, however, since there were foods like "Diceberry", "Applesocks", and "Masked Potato" on the menu.

"Can I take your order?" A feminine voice asked.

The one taking his order was a young girl with light blue hair that went past her shoulders and light green eyes. She wore a blue blouse on top of a baggy pink dress and had a pair of fairy wings on her back and antennas on her head. Behind the antennae, a red cloth wrapped around the back of her head and she had on a pair of red boots.

'Observe'

**Name: Rachel**

**Race: Human Butterfly**

**Title: Waitress**

**Age: 16**

**Level: Lvl 2**

**HP: 150/150**

**TP: 350/350**

**MP: 175/175**

**STR: 4**

**VIT: 6**

**DEX: 10**

**INT: 7**

**WIS: 10**

**SPI: 8**

**LUK: 2**

**Synchro Effect: ?**

**Description: The daughter of Mark and Jennifer. She hardly talks, and does not become too friendly with anyone. She is sick of her Faerie-like appearance and the room décor.**

**Skill Level Up!**

**Observe Lvl 1 → Lvl 2**

**Lvl 1: The user can see the target's stats and a basic description.**

**Lvl 2: The user can see how much experience the target needs to reach the next level.**

"Yes, I think I'll have th—" Sean was suddenly interrupted.

"Oh, honey-bun!" A loud, manly voice rang out.

Rachel groaned with a downturned head, her hair shielding her face from view, when an older man carrying a bag entered the establishment. He had a jovial air about him and was donned in what at first appeared to be a suit of red and blue armor. Upon further inspection, Sean saw that the "armor" looked too alive and was actually an exoskeleton just like that of a beetle. It even shined when the light from outside hit it and the man's head had a set of blue pincers pointing upwards with one on each side.

'Observe'

**Name: Mark**

**Race: ?**

**Title: ?**

**Age: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Description: The owner of Domina's item shop and also Rachel's father. He really loves his family, but they seem to be a little sick of his overdose of love.**

"Hey, Daddy," Rachel gave her father a strained smile, a pen clenched firmly in her grip. Sean hid his face behind his menu in a futile attempt to make the situation less awkward while the other customers kept to their conversations, apparently used to this occurrence.

Mark beamed as he strode up to his daughter. "Sugar-cakes, daddy noticed you forgot your lunch this morning and made something extra special for you."

"_Sugar-cakes?"_ Sean grimaced, creeped out by the daughter's pet names. _"Even for a wife, that'd be weird."_ He thought before looking back to the menu. _"Haven't had pasta in a while."_

"That's great, daddy," Rachel replied, taking the bag with her father remaining completely oblivious to her embarrassment. "I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

"Only the best for me little sweety-baby!" Mark practically shouted, completely missing the brief glance that Rachel gave the pub, her gaze only stopping on Sean for a moment when he went "ugh."

"Daddy," Rachel spoke patiently with a hint of weariness. "I really need to get back to work now. Why don't you go see how mommy's doing at the store?"

"Wonderful idea, daughter of mine!" Mark exclaimed with excessive pride. _"Tone done the fucking volume, dude."_ "I'll be sure to tell her what a bang-up job you're doing."

"Bye, daddy." Rachel bid her father farewell, or at least tried to, when he suddenly enveloped her in a big bear hug. She patted her father on the shoulder as she hung in his arms a few inches off the floor, her smile straining even further.

Mark set her down and left, but not before yelling, "See you later, pumpkin!"

With her father now gone, Rachel just stood there as her smile finally slipped from her face with a sigh. Sean gave her a moment to wind down after that ordeal and waited calmly, ready to give his order.

After about a minute, she turned and with a more relaxed posture, asked, "Can I take your order?"

Sean just ordered a simple dish with breaded chicken breasts and masked potatoes. As she wrote down his order, Sean inquired, "By the way, miss, have you seen any Jumi recently?"

"None that I can remember," She replied quickly, needing to move onto the next table since her father held her up. "Your order will be out shortly."

Sean took his time enjoying his meal once it came out, the flavor of garlic and butter dancing on his tongue. He was already planning to go the marketplace next to see if Niccola was there. If she wasn't, Sean figured, then he could just ask the fortuneteller woman for some advice.

Normally, Sean disliked fortunetellers, seers, and the like, but in the game, the woman offered hints more than a deep look into the future or past.

Once he was finished eating, Sean paid 15 Lucre for his meal and left for the marketplace.

The market, lying to the north of the town's center, wasn't that different from a farmer's market back home. There were a few buildings selling various items ranging from fruits and vegetables to flowers, clothing, and mirrors. In one area, a blue tent selling fish was erected with a blue sign on the front and side of said tent, each in the shape of a fish.

Sean could smell the catch of the day as he approached the fortuneteller since she was right across from the fish tent. Thankfully, out in the open air, the stench wasn't too powerful.

The fortune teller was a young woman close to Sean's age with hair that looked like a big bundle of grapes except the berries were pink while smaller bundles of blueberries framed the sides of her face. A bunch stem actually stuck out of the top of her hair. Holding a long smoking pipe in her right hand, the woman somehow possessed an air of sophistication despite standing in a wicker basket surrounded by fruit.

'Observe'

**Name: Meimei**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Fortune Teller**

**Age: 22**

**Level: Lvl 5**

**Description: A glamorous fortune teller. She led a luxurious and exciting life, but now she seems to be saving money for her old age.**

"Hello," She greeted in a neutral tone. "Want your fortune told?"

"Yes," Sean said calmly, managing to hide his disbelief.

"That will be 10 Lucre. I'm saving for my retirement, so no less!"

Sean just handed her the money, deciding not to point out how there were better ways of making income than fortune telling.

After putting the money away, Meimei started spinning quickly which, in turn, caused the basket and the fruits within to spin as if in a washing machine.

"Vitamins, carotins, potassium, fiber…polyphenol!" She called before slowing down, not dizzy in the least.

Once everything came to a stop, Meimei reached down and picked up an orange, observing it closely.

"Many options can present themselves in a month. A busy time ahead, perhaps?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"You have no idea." Sean responded, taking notice of the words "options" and "month."

Sean returned home after leaving the fortune teller, not having caught a glimpse of Niccola anywhere. He now contemplated what to do next since it was becoming more likely that there was no chance of him returning to his world.

"_That chest didn't have enough Lucre in it,"_ Sean thought, already having spent a fourth of his money in such a short amount of time. He scratched his head in annoyance. _"Pretty sure my computer skills won't help me here."_

"Although," Sean started. "Meimei did say that 'many options can present themselves in a month.'" At the word "options," a new box appeared. "So obviously, if she's right, then I have a month until canon events start."

**Quest Completed!**

**Find your bearings**

**Reward: 50 Exp**

"That's nice, I guess." Sean glanced at the options menu and found settings for difficulty, which was locked in normal, despite him trying to change it to easy. _"Feels like some asshole is mocking me."_ A mini-map option was found and quickly turned on as well as event notification. _"Glad as fuck that thing's there."_ Because honestly, how much help would Sean be if he didn't know when things were going down.

Sean closed the options box, the other menu items being inconsequential. His mind was still focused on his money problem and what skills could net him a job in Domina.

"_I could try working at the item shop,"_ Sean briefly pondered before shaking his head. _"That guy Mark might be worse there than at the pub."_ He still felt nauseous just thinking about the guy's weird fatherly love and pet names. _"Maybe the hotel or pub have an opening? Or what if there's a notice board somewhere offering quests? But since I can only go to Domina or stay here, then would that even work?"_

**Quest Alert!**

**Bring home the bacon**

**Being new here, you've found yourself with very little of the local currency and sadly your debit card won't help. Find a job or other method of bringing in cash to support yourself and keep your household running.**

**Reward: 50 Exp, A Steady Source of Income, Esuna Skill Book**

**Failure: Potential Death(s), Inability to buy things**

"_I'm definitely gonna need that."_ Sean remembered that the Esuna Spell could heal most status ailments in the Final Fantasy games. _"I'll head back to town tomorrow once I figure out what my best choice is. Just hope getting a job isn't as hard as back home."_ Sean sighed. _"Way too much bullshit in that process."_

**Author's Note: Well, here's Chapter 2. During this chapter, I introduced the Spirit attribute to help calculate the effectiveness and/or attack power of Sean's various spells. I may add another attribute later that I don't think I've seen in any of the other Gamer stories I've read. One having to do with music.**

**With some characters, I won't list all of their stats because not all characters will play a big role in the story although more will than in the game.**

**Niccolo and one other character will be female in this story. In the game, when you defeat enemies and bosses, items, exp and money appear that you have to physically pick up. Niccolo loves money. He'll trick people and sell fake items at exorbitant prices to obtain it. In the Sword of Mana, according to the wiki, Niccolo only saves the hero because he thought he caught a large fish, but remembered that being a good Samaritan was a good way to get more customers.**

**There's also a panel in the Legend of Mana manga, released from 2000 to 2002, where Niccolo sees a single Lucre coin on the road and his eyes open and nostrils flare, air shooting out of them. Niccola will eventually be in Sean's party and if he saw that Sean could make money appear, then I think things would get uncomfortably close to slash for me. If you like slash, that's your decision, but it's not for me. The other character will be female simply because I thought they were a woman when I was a kid.**

**Finally, I would really appreciate some more reviews as they give writers ideas about how they can improve. Thanks for the review, faves, and follows so far. Also, sorry for the long author's note.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana.

Chapter 3: Information Gathering

"_I guess that's it then, huh."_ Sean thought with resignation, having found the note telling him to restore the Tree of Mana. He came across it when he decided to see if the treasure chest by his kitchen would give him more inventory space, as well as allowing him to better sort out any and all future items.

Upon opening his inventory window, Sean had placed the chest inside and checked to see how much additional space it had given him. His inventory was now 20 spaces larger and the note appeared in the first spot.

Though Sean had expected this to happen, he was still bummed out.

"Oh well," Sean said, putting the note back into storage. "At least one good thing happened this morning."

Indeed, it did. For when Sean tested his idea, he had received a new notification.

**For using your head, you have gained +1 WIS**

"_I don't feel any different. Or am I even supposed to?"_ Sean wondered before shrugging. "I've got better things to worry about."

The first item on his list was, of course, finding a job.

Sean had decided to look for a notice board before scoping out the hotel. "Please let daily quests be a thing here." He prayed, hoping that they were since most jobs were a drag. If neither the notice board or the hotel panned out, Sean figured he could track down Duelle for help.

The hotel was his second and only other option, having already shot down both the item shop and the pub.

Sean knew firsthand just how annoying working in the food industry could be. True, Domina was a much smaller town than he was used to seeing, but the description given by his "Observe" skill said that the town was "lively" and frequented by traveling merchants and entertainers.

That being the case, working in a hotel should provide him with enough income whilst not taking up so much time to where he couldn't train. Unlike the hotel, the pub would more than likely stick him with an 8 AM to 5 PM shift thus hampering his growth. In the end, Sean shelved this option since he knew how much of a pain in the ass it would turn out to be.

**For thinking ahead and planning your time wisely, +1 WIS**

The second thing was training. Or, again, allowing himself enough time for it.

Yesterday, Sean didn't just twiddle his thumbs once he was home. He started training his observe skill again by using it on whatever mundane item he came across and had gotten the skill to Level 5.

During this time, Sean discovered that the observe skill wouldn't gain experience if he kept looking at the same object repeatedly. By extension, there had to be enough of a difference between two of the same item for Sean to be able to level up the skill. For instance, if Sean had a box of pencils, there would be no benefit to using "Observe" on all of them. But, if say, one had been gnawed on, then the skill would grow stronger.

At Level 5, Sean could now see the Synchro Effect of others.

He had also gained 2 levels in "Fire" and 1 level in "Cure," bringing "Fire" up to Level 3 and "Cure" up to Level 2. With the new levels, more information had been revealed on his "Fire" spell.

**Fire (Active) Lvl 3 [33%] Cost: 5 MP**

**This is the most basic fire spell and deals a small amount of damage to enemies. This spell can be altered to form different attacks. At higher levels, the spell will deal more damage.**

**Deals fire damage according to this formula: Total = (SPI + Fire Affinity)**

**DMG = Total + (Total * 6%)**

**Current Level: Deals +6% Fire Damage**

**Effect: Has 3% chance to inflict Burn status**

Further leveling up, Sean concluded, would reveal even more information. His spellcasting led to his **SPI** to go up from **5 to 7** and his **STR** went to **10** while **VIT** climbed to **13 **and **DEX** advanced to **30**. **WIS** even went up by **1** due to casting the "Fire" spell next to a well he had found outside, bringing his total **WIS** up to **14**.

Normally, Sean wasn't one to do much exercise. He would jog or do push-ups sometimes and was in decent shape, but until now he hadn't truly felt motivated towards really building himself up physically.

"_Yet another effect of Gamer's Mind,"_ Sean guessed, which was helped by Gamer's Body.

Whereas before, Sean would get exhausted just like anyone else from a workout, now he would recover his stamina within seconds.

The increase in his **STR**, **VIT**, and **DEX** came from an activity he had taken up about a month prior to his arrival here. It had even turned into two new skills after a few minutes of doing it and the experience from his time back on Earth carried over.

**Yoga (Active) Lvl 7 [89%]**

**At first a group of Hindu disciplines that originated in ancient India, the term "yoga" refers to Hatha yoga in the Western world which is a branch of Yoga that focuses primarily on asanas (the physical positions) to exercise the body. Yoga also incorporates breath control to help relax the mind.**

**Passively increases STR by 21%**

**Passively increases VIT by 21%**

**Passively increases DEX by 21%**

**Breath Control (Passive/Active) Lvl 3 [23%]**

**This ability allows the user better control over the intake of oxygen and over the regulation of air in their bodies. Breath Control also increases the time that the user can hold their breath, making it possible for them to spend greater lengths of time underwater or in other areas where oxygen is absent or where toxic fumes may reside.**

**Current Limit: 3 Minutes**

**+15 Wind Affinity**

Yoga was something that Sean took up at the suggestion of his therapist to help him keep his temper in check. Sean liked her although the hippie vibe did get slightly annoying.

There were two other skills he had gained the previous day. Sean had gotten them due to dicking around with his Menos Sword, losing his balance and stumbling a couple times due to overextending.

**1H Sword Mastery (Passive) Lvl 2 [15%]**

**This ability allows the user to freely handle 1H swords. This skill only applies to the user when wielding a single 1H sword at a time.**

**Effect: +10% increase in attack damage with 1H swords**

**Techniques:**

**Iai Strike -1H Sword Technique- (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 200 TP**

**A sudden lunge, followed by a slice through the enemy.**

**DMG = STR * 102%**

Even though Sean possessed the 1H Sword Mastery skill, he felt it prudent to hold off on practicing the Iai Strike technique for the time being.

"_At least until my sword mastery goes up a few more levels."_

Thirdly, there was the matter of Li'l Cactus.

Upon turning in for the evening, Sean had said good night to the smiling cactus, not really expecting a reply.

"What time is it?" The voice sounded like that of a 6 or 7-year old boy.

Now, Sean knew that Li'l Cactus was capable of speech and movement, but because he wasn't paying much attention, he missed it. Sean did, however, see the "Cactus Diaries" entry the next day.

**Find Your Bearings**

**My master forgot what day it was today. I think he should get a calendar. Especially the one with the little smiley faces. Those ones are the best.**

Sean just snorted when he read the entry the next morning and made to move on, but paused. "How did Li'l Cactus know about what I did?" _"Wasn't there something about plants being connected?"_ He tried asking the Sproutling outside his house about it, but just received some advice on using your imagination.

"Maybe one of the Sproutlings in Domina can tell me."

While this was concerning, the real issue was how to take care of a cactus.

Back home, cactuses didn't need a great deal of care, mostly just sun and some water now and then. But regular cactuses didn't have mouths. _"Do I just give him water or is there special food I'm supposed to get?"_ Sean paused. _"Would it be cannibalism if I fed him another plant?"_

**Quest Alert!**

**Plant Care 101**

**Li'l Cactus is a shy little cactus who happens to be thinking about many things, but not enough words to spare. Find out how to take care of your cactus and what sustenance he needs.**

**Reward: 50 Exp, Produce Encyclopedia, 100 Lucre, ?, ?**

**Bonus: Find out how Li'l Cactus knew about your trip to Domina.**

**Failure: None**

"I'm going to need a list pretty soon." Sean thought before bringing up the options menu. The mini-map option was still enabled, evidenced by the circular map in the upper right-hand corner of his vision. Event notification was also on, something that Sean was glad didn't turn off, as he looked at the rest of the options menu.

**Options**

**Difficulty: Normal**

**Sound: On**

**Mini-Map: On**

**Event Notification: On**

**Time: Off**

**Help**

Sean quickly turned the Time option on causing a watch to appear in the top left-hand corner opposite the map. The time was shown to be 9:03 in the morning. He closed the options menu, deciding he'd look at the Help selection later, and stood up from the kitchen table.

Looking down at his clothes, Sean still felt relatively clean as he had taken a shower just prior to his kidnapping. _"I'll have to get some new threads soon though."_ Not to mention food as well.

Heading out the door, Sean felt that the temperature had dropped at least 10° from the previous day.

While yesterday had been hot and muggy, today was cooler with a light breeze combing through Sean's hair. The moon (1) showed itself more clearly today with the sun having been too bright the previous day to see it.

Sean turned his sight away from the moon and left for Domina, his departure accompanied by the blowing of leaves.

Around the map, there were three new additions.

Just below his position at Home, there were 8 moving characters. Each of them corresponded to a different element. Going from left to right, they were the following: Wisp (Light), Shade (Darkness), Dryad (Plants/Wood), Aura (Moon), Salamander (Fire), Gnome (Earth), Jinn (Wind), and Undine (Water).

Beneath each of them, there was a circle graph composed of three slices. Each slice stood for a point for that particular Mana Spirit towards whatever location you were on. Different locations had different levels for each element. In game, the placement of the different artifacts had an effect on various things such as unlocking the top level for the shops, making farming easier, and making certain quests and pets available.

"_I can't remember what all of the effects are."_ Sean hadn't actually played the game for some years.

Over to the map's left, there was a circle with a green frame, kind of like a locket. Within the circle, there was the image of a large seed resting on a hill. From the seed, a tiny stem and two green leaves had already sprouted. In the Legend of Mana, this was one way of letting the players know how far along they were and how close the Tree of Mana was to being restored.

"_You didn't even need to complete every quest in the game." _Sean had actually missed some when he was younger, to his irritation. _"Some could be missed or even failed."_

To the upper right of the map, there was an object similar to the circular pendant except its frame was shaped almost like a conch shell. In the middle, there was the image of the Mana Spirit Aura with the color gold surrounding it.

Changing his mind from earlier, Sean consulted the Help menu from the options screen.

A lot of the menu was either blank and yet to be filled or was just a refresher of things Sean already knew. Looking further, however, he happened upon a page detailing the days of the week.

In the Legend of Mana, there is a seven-day week cycle. Each of the seven days is represented by a different elemental spirit. On that spirit's day, the magic of the element might be slightly stronger. That doesn't mean, however, that the opposing element is necessarily weaker. (2)

The days are in the following order:

**Salamander Day—Fire magic is stronger**

**Aura Day—Moon magic is stronger**

**Gnome Day—Earth magic is stronger**

**Jinn Day—Wind magic is stronger**

**Dryad Day—Plant/Wood magic is stronger**

**Undine Day—Water magic is stronger**

**Mana Holy Day—All elemental magic is balanced**

The two other elements, Wisp and Shade, are represented by Day and Night respectively.

"_In game, I'm pretty sure the days didn't affect attack power."_ Sean rubbed his chin. _"Something to ponder later."_

Dismissing the Help menu, Sean left the map and entered the town of Domina.

The peaceful atmosphere was quickly shattered by a commotion coming from the direction of the marketplace. An angry, reverberating shout rose above the din of noise, tearing through Domina and scaring off a nearby flock of singing bluebirds.

Were it not for this, one might think the town abandoned since there was barely a soul in sight.

Sean managed to find the notice board well enough on his own to the left of the hotel. It was planted in front of a rather nondescript building. What tipped him off to it was Duelle's sad attempt at pinning a notification to the board using his polearm, the punctured paper flapping in the wind.

"Need a hand?" Sean asked rhetorically, casually walking up to the notice board.

What happened next was an unforeseen consequence.

Duelle pulled away from the notice board in surprise, a slight frown on his face birthed from frustration. The paper, no longer pressed to the wood, was snatched away by the wind. Sean's eyes widened and he shot forth to grab it, not having seen the concentrated expression Duelle now wore.

Duelle, eyes focused on the paper, failed to register Sean's actions and he stabbed his weapon upwards. The blade pierced the paper just as Sean grabbed it, resulting in his weapon cutting into Sean's palm.

**Due to a certain action, you have gained a new skill!**

**Physical Endurance (Passive) Lvl 1 [12%]**

**This skill increases the body's durability and lessens the amount of physical damage inflicted on the user.**

**Effect: 3% decrease in damage from physical attacks**

**-15 HP**

"Fuck!" Sean hissed in pain, immediately pulling his hand to his chest and holding it firmly with the other one.

Duelle winced. "Jeez. Are you okay?" With a concerned expression, Duelle examined his spear since he couldn't get a good look at Sean's hand and found no blood on the blade. Tilting his head in confusion, Duelle questioned why there wasn't any as he had thrusted his polearm with enough force to have done so.

"Fucking wonderful," Sean spat out, finding no wound on his right hand, despite still feeling rapidly receding pain. He unclenched his hands and shook out the last vestiges of soreness, eyes narrowed in anger.

"I'm really sorry about that," Duelle apologized. He scratched his head in bewilderment, no less perplexed when he saw Sean's hand was free of any injury. "How come you aren't injured?"

"What?" Sean asked, having caught Duelle's question just as his hand returned to his side. "Oh, uh, I just got lucky I guess?" Sean couldn't lie to save his life.

Duelle gazed at him in suspicion before shrugging. "It probably doesn't matter."

"What's on that piece of paper anyway?" Sean inquired, his anger giving way to calm. (3)

Duelle pointed his weapon towards Sean, who carefully grabbed the sheet of paper so that he wouldn't be stabbed again. "Jennifer wanted me to put this up since Mark's running the store today."

"But you can't even reach the board." Sean questioned why Jennifer, a grown woman, couldn't have done it herself. He turned his attention to the notice in his hand and read it over.

**Quest Alert!**

**Quest Chain!**

**Robbin' Hood**

**For the past two weeks, there has been a string of thefts and break-ins within Domina, making some residents fearful and driving away business. Find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.**

**Success: 300 Exp, 500 Lucre, Item Encyclopedia, Equipment Encyclopedia, ?, ?, ?, ?**

**Failure: Potential Death(s), Chance of quest failure: Bring Home the Bacon, Further Damage to Domina, Possibility of Missing Later Quests**

**This quest cannot be refused**

"_Really putting on the pressure there,"_ Sean thought, pinning the paper to the notice board himself rather than allowing Duelle another attempt, saving everyone time.

Duelle sighed. "With Mark's constant doting over Rachel, Jennifer can never seem to get out of the house fast enough." He shook his head with a frown. "She's probably out in the marketplace again, where she always is when not managing the shop."

"Well, hopefully it'll all work itself out," Sean replied swiftly, not wanting to get involved in the family's affairs because really, _"What business is it of mine?"_ "So, what can you tell me about the crimes going on?"

"An adventurer, eh?" Duelle would have said with a raised eyebrow had he had any. "You don't look like much of one." Duelle stated skeptically, glancing over Sean's attire.

"I sure hadn't noticed." Sean responded sarcastically. "Look, I'm new to town and I'm a bit strapped for cash all right." He took a calming breath and exhaled. "I really need the money."

"Why don't you just work at the pub?" Duelle asked.

"Because I've worked in a restaurant before and after I quit, I promised myself that I would never work in such a place again." Sean had waited tables in a certain place once upon a time and outside of politics, the customers there were the whiniest people he had ever had to hear or deal with. That wasn't to mention his lazy coworkers and inept manager either.

Sean paused. "There's also having to watch that beetle guy repeatedly express his love for his daughter." He didn't think he could ever get used to that.

"I don't blame you." Duelle completely understood where Sean was coming from.

Sean gave the notice board a once-over, seeing that all of the other quests were in places he couldn't yet get to. "I did think about working at the hotel though, but with business being driven away, that might not be a good idea."

Curiously, the notice for the Robbin' Hood quest changed in appearance when Sean wasn't looking at it. The general message was still there, but the text that only someone with the Gamer ability could see, such as the Success and Failure lines, disappeared.

"If you really want to do this, then you'll end up going there anyway." Duelle said simply. "Most of these robberies have taken place in the early evening or at night. I'm sure Miss Yuka's seen something."

"Is there anyone else I should speak with?" Surely more than one person had kept an eye out.

"There is Rachel, but…she's a bit shy," Duelle informed awkwardly, his words matching up with the description the Gamer system had given him. "You'd also have to get her away from Mark for her to say anything."

"Would she even speak to me if I did?" Rachel's description had also said that she didn't become too friendly with anyone. Seeing as Sean was a complete stranger, he assumed he wouldn't get anything out of her.

"Not unless someone like a family friend was with you," Duelle replied.

"Then why don't you go with me then?" Sean asked the obvious question. "I won't get anywhere by myself since, again, I'm new here. And whose to say that Miss Yuka will speak to me either?" _"And to what extent will things differ from the game?"_

Duelle nodded, figuring teaming up would be the best course of action. "Okay, it's been a little while since I've been on an adventure."

The pair left the notice board and took a short walk over to the hotel.

Similar to most of the other buildings in Domina, the two-story hotel had a yellow, thatched roof made of straw. The rest of the structure was painted white with an orange trim and window frames and round, red double doors at the entrance.

Before they entered the "Mana's Blessing," Duelle assured, "Miss Yuka is the owner of the inn and she's a nice woman. You should have no trouble talking to her." Duelle's expression became pensive before shifting to a mild scowl. "Mr. Moti will try to get something out of you. Probably make a deal in exchange for information."

"I'm sure I can handle it," Sean said confidently.

Inside, Sean saw the turbaned man from the other day standing behind the check-in counter. He was busy conversing with a big yellow bird with a pink beak. Her eyes were black like a doll's eyes and each had a smaller white area to indicate a pupil. She wore a pair of baggy blue pants with suspenders over a white blouse and there was a red bowtie on her neck.

The back of her head was decorated with a pink bow and other than the little bit of green hair growing from the top of her scalp, she would've appeared bald. The only other detail of note were her green tail feathers which curled back in on themselves like a spiral.

'Observe'

**Name: Miss Yuka**

**Race: Chocobo (?), Canary (Claims to be)**

**Title: Hotel Owner**

**Age: 35**

**Level: Lvl 3**

**Description: The owner of Domina's only inn. She insists that she is a canary, but there are rumors that she is really a Chocobo. Addressing her as "Miss Yuka" is a must.**

"_Might as well get the other person,"_ Sean thought. _"Since I didn't yesterday."_

**Name: Mr. Moti**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Entrepreneur**

**Age: ?**

**Level: Lvl 6**

**Description: He is everywhere doing everything.**

Mr. Moti made eye contact with Sean during a lull in conversation and cleared his throat, signaling to Miss Yuka that someone else was present.

Miss Yuka spun around in surprise, evidently not having heard their entry. "Hello. I'm Miss Yuka, the keeper of this inn." She spoke in a welcoming tone. "I apologize for not seeing you before." She then took notice of Duelle. "Hello, Duelle. How are you today?"

Sean just waved it off. "It's no big deal."/ "I'm doing fine." Duelle replied.

"Who's your friend?" Miss Yuka asked, looking between the two.

"This is Chumpy." Duelle answered, having forgotten his name already.

"My name's Sean actually," Sean replied, shooting Duelle an annoyed glance from his peripheral. "We just wanted to know if you've seen anything suspicious lately having to do with the recent string of thefts."

"Inspector Boyd is on the case." Mr. Moti spoke in an even tone, betraying no emotions in his expression.

"Inspector Boyd?" Sean asked.

"He's a detective who's currently looking into this," Duelle answered. "The angry shouting from the marketplace was him."

"And he came here alone," Miss Yuka informed, not sounding too certain of the Inspector's competence. "I haven't seen any other officers around."

"He'll catch the ones responsible." Mr. Moti sounded more like he was trying to convince everyone else of that than actually being serious.

Duelle gave a subtle shake of the head. "He'll arrive at the last minute." He whispered just loud enough for Sean to hear. Mr. Moti barely narrowed his eyes at Duelle.

"Have you seen anything, Miss Yuka?" Sean asked, getting things back on track. "Any information would be greatly appreciated."

Miss Yuka took a moment to recollect. "As a matter of fact, I did see someone running towards the Western End of town last night. I thought it was Miss Lurry's son, Arthur, trying to beat curfew at first, but then I saw they were carrying a bow with a quiver full of arrows on their back."

"Were they wearing anything? Did you see their eye color? Any distinguishing features at all? Sean asked slowly, trying not to overwhelm the matronly woman.

Miss Yuka crossed her wings in rumination. "The only other thing I remember is that they were wearing a piece of cloth on their head." She said in a warm tone. "It might have been one of those Chobin Hoods that some of our guests told me about."

Sean vaguely remembered a monster species by that name. "What's a Chobin Hood?"

"They're a demi-human species of rodent-like creatures who are well known for their archery skills." Duelle enlightened helpfully.

"And for being a race of nothing but thieves," Mr. Moti said in disdain.

"Mr. Moti! You shouldn't say such things." Miss Yuka gave him a look of reproach.

"What? It's true." He replied with a deadpan expression. "All they do is rob people of their goods along the various trade routes, chief among them Luon Highway."

"Just because some of them are that way, doesn't mean they all are." Miss Yuka didn't look too pleased by his words.

"The day I see one legitimately work for a living, then I may change my mind." Mr. Moti snorted. "If such a thing could ever happen."

Sean, not wanting to watch their argument, caught Duelle's attention with a hand gesture when he saw that they had been forgotten and inclined his head back towards the entrance. The two of them then made their exit, the sounds of squabbling cut off by the quietly closing door.

"That was easier than I thought it'd be," Sean remarked, thinking beforehand that he'd have to jump through hoops or do another quest before he could get anywhere. "What was the deal back there anyways?" Sean pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

"Moti dislikes anyone and anything that impedes his chances of making money," Duelle replied. "He's not the worst guy around. He just…" Duelle paused to consider his words. "…loves money too much." Duelle scowled. "Though he's not as bad as Niccola." Duelle mumbled angrily.

Sean heard the last part, but chose not to ask. "But seriously, if we could figure out who's been stealing from the town so quickly, then why is this an issue?"

"There's more than one Chobin Hood tribe," Duelle informed. "I've seen them at Lake Kilma and near Luon Highway. There are probably others."

"Which one is closest to here?" Sean suspected it was the latter of the two places.

"Luon Highway," Duelle confirmed. "The entire tribe might not be in on it despite them becoming bolder lately."

Another booming yell rang throughout Domina.

Sean rubbed his ear. "He does realize that creating that much of a ruckus could alert the thieves, doesn't he?" He had to question the Inspector's intelligence.

"Inspector Boyd isn't that great at his job," Duelle commented before sighing. "But a lot of people would rather just bury their heads in the sand and let him deal with the problem. Much of the town is that way."

"Are there no other officers at all?" Sean asked, remembering what Miss Yuka said. "What about a police force?"

Duelle shook his head. "Boyd usually ends up leaving backup in the dust because he's always in a hurry."

"_At least he takes things seriously, from the sound of it."_ Sean thought. "Town Guard?" He queried, receiving another shake of the head in return.

"Domina is a smaller town than places like Geo and Lumina," Duelle explained. "A majority of the town's goods are also transported from bigger cities so the Chobin Hoods and other bandits really become an issue." He readjusted his spear, the weapon acting like a substitute walking stick. "As a result, not as many people want to live here and the people who are here would rather just use the police instead of defending themselves."

"Is there anyone in town, anyone at all, who would defend it if we were attacked right now?" _"These people,"_ Sean thought, surprised by the citizens' stupidity. _"Are lucky that a monster hasn't attacked them because if so, they'd be fucked."_

"Mark is the only person who I know would." Duelle replied certainly as the two approached the entrance to Rachel's house. "Warriors and fighters sometimes pass through, but there aren't any around right now."

Before they could continue their conversation, a big teapot-looking creature suddenly threw open the door, nearly slamming into Duelle.

The creature lacked any legs, instead having its body rest on a small platform with blue, flower-like petals extending from the platform to about halfway up her round body. She had thick, muscular arms and a chain of blue diamonds painted onto her surface around her "neck." Her eyes were simply round lines, similar to Brock from Pokemon, and she sported an eternal, circular blush beneath them.

On the back of her head, there was a giant metal handle. The top of her head was the same shade of blue as the petals and a smaller golden handle was attached to it. Her head, upon closer examination, looked as if it could be opened and her whole body, sans the handles, appeared to be made of some type of stone.

**Name: Teapo**

**Race: Magical Golem**

**Title: Jewelry Collector (?)**

**Age: ?**

**Level: Lvl 2**

**Description: A magical life-form with a kind heart. She thinks she is a jewelry collector, but most of them are glass fakes that Niccola sold to her.**

"Oi! Duelle!" Teapo said nervously in a distinctive English Cockney dialect. "Where 'ave ye been?" She had the voice of an older woman.

"What's going on?" Duelle asked calmly, not the least bit worried by Teapo's behavior.

"It's bloody terrible!" Teapo replied, hopping closer from out of the house. Water could be heard sloshing around inside of her. "A rough-looking gentleman came askin' questions about Rachel. He looked like 'e might try to take Rachel away." She started gushing water out of her head similar to tears.

"He's just asking her some questions," Duelle said patiently. "Now where did Rachel go?"

"Mark picked 'er up from the pub and took 'er o'er to the marketplace," Teapo answered, her crying slowing down. Sean and Duelle had stepped back just in time to avoid the splash zone. "She didn't look too 'appy."

"Ah, jeez." Duelle knew things would get ugly if they didn't get there soon. "Teapo. You should stay and watch the house while Steve and I go make sure she's okay." Duelle smiled at her. "Brew some tea while we're gone. Rachel will enjoy some when she comes home."

Her crying finally ceased. "You're right," She said, wiping her eyes. "I'll 'ave a nice pot of me special orange blend for when she gets 'ere." Teapo hopped back into the house excitedly, the door closing behind her.

"How many times are you going to get my name wrong?" Sean asked, staring at Duelle in mild irritation.

"That's not important right now," Duelle replied with urgency. "We need to get over to the marketplace before things get any worse."

Sean watched Duelle waddle along and picked him up by the back of his shirt since he was much taller and faster. Height wise, the top of Duelle's head came an inch or two short of Sean's hips. Duelle was slightly miffed by this, but simply hung in Sean's grasp with a firm grip on his spear. Sean, meanwhile, held Duelle out in front of himself so the spear wouldn't cut him.

Entering the marketplace, they could both immediately see the damage that the thieves had caused.

A fruit cart had been knocked over with some of its produce squished into the dirt while other stands had been set on fire as evidenced by their blackened remains. The fish tent had been torn down and taken, the wooden pegs still embedded in the ground with small shreds of blue cloth on them. The thieves had even broken a few windows on the surrounding buildings.

A few of the townspeople were going about cleaning up some of the damage while fixing what they could.

Standing by where the tent stood, there was a short mouse man speaking with a smiling Mark and an angry Rachel, her hair once more hiding her face.

'Observe'

**Name: Boyd**

**Race: Mouse Man**

**Title: Inspector**

**Age: ?**

**Level: Lvl 11**

**Description: A little man with a really loud voice that could reach a nearby "land." He might be the most honest and kind-hearted man you will ever meet.**

Inspector Boyd was a man with white fur covering his head and big mouse ears. A pipe rested in his mouth below his thin moustache and blue eyes. He sported a large blue overcoat with green sleeves and baggy grey pants. Boyd also wore a plaid, light green vest and a red tie. Perhaps the most noticeable article of clothing, however, was his blue-green deerstalker cap, reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes.

"Just take your time, Miss," Boyd said gently, wanting to make things easier since he saw how uncomfortable Rachel was.

"Hahaha! Nonsense, officer." Mark spoke in an unintentionally condescending tone. "I'm sure my little pumpkin can tell you exactly what happened. She inherited my sharp eyes you know."

"…" Rachel made no sound, but she started to shake in fury with clenched hands, her glare going to a blond-haired woman who was chatting with Meimei.

**Name: Jennifer**

**Race: Human Butterfly**

**Title: Co-Proprietor/Angry House Wife**

**Age: 37**

**Level: Lvl 3**

**Description: Mark's wife, who likes spending times outside his shop. She says anything that crosses her mind.**

The blonde woman had green eyes and wore a white blouse. Over this, Jennifer had on a long pink dress which flowed past her feet. She had two loops of hair to both sides of her face and a bun on the back of her head. On her back, a beautiful pair of purple and yellow butterfly wings flapped slowly in the wind.

"Mark!" Duelle called, standing on the ground since Sean let him go.

Both Mark and the Inspector turned to face him. "Ah, Duelle. My fine friend. How are you faring today?"

"Just living life's adventure," Duelle replied, slowly but surely defusing the situation. "Sean here found out who has been stealing from the town."

"My name i—Huh, you actually got it right that time." Sean blinked.

"Is that true?" Inspector Boyd asked as Sean drew the peoples' attention, allowing Duelle to lead away the ticking time bomb known as Rachel.

"_I am not good with crowds."_ Sean felt nervous in front of so many people, Gamer's Mind easing his anxiety enough to where it wasn't a problem. "Well, I spoke with Miss Yuka earlier and she told me that she saw a short figure carrying a bow and arrows run towards the Western End of town last night. She thinks it might have been a Chobin Hood."

"A Chobin Hood? I was sure it would've been someone else." Boyd said, taking a puff of his pipe. "I've had several reports come in saying that they've been acting strange lately, more aggressive, but until now they've never come this close to town, let alone enter it."

"Do you know what caused them to change?" Sean inquired.

Inspector Boyd adjusted his hat, the little glasses sitting on its brim reflected the sunlight. "One report did say that a giant talking bug was spotted along Luon Highway." Boyd shook his head. "Bah! It's probably just some random monster. Most monsters aren't sentient and the bigger ones are always more vicious."

Sean looked around and saw some townspeople were still watching them. "I think it'd be a good idea if we continue this discussion elsewhere." Sean gestured to the crowd with his hand. "I don't want to drag any of the regular citizens into this."

Inspector Boyd nodded. "Good idea. By the way, my card." The inspector handed a white card to Sean from his trench coat. Sean looked it over.

**Inspector Boyd**

**Detective and Police Officer on Duty!**

Sean pocketed the card as Boyd said, "I appreciate the information. Will you help me arrest these criminals?"

Sean nodded. "That's what I'm here for." Sean reached out and shook the Inspector's hand. "I'm Sean Rent by the way."

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 3. In this chapter, I wanted to cover more of the game's mechanics, some of which will come into effect later. In Legend of Mana, an RPG that was released by SquareSoft in Japan on July 15, 1999 and North America June 6, 2000, the main goal is to restore the Tree of Mana to its former state. Pretty much all of the quests in the game have nothing to do with this goal and the Tree of Mana falls into the background. **

**Some people didn't like the game because of its loose plot. **

**In this story, Gamer's Mind will affect Sean in terms of preventing extremes such as going into a blind rage or making him be completely fine with killing. Most stories I've read never address that. Sean knows that killing is necessary in certain situations, but will avoid it if he can.**

**In the Legend of Mana, there are days of the week, but I don't think they had any effect on battles or stats. This idea of days of the week influencing spell/attack power comes from the game Trials of Mana, which I might have barely played years ago.**

**Also, I'm not trying to make Sean OP from the start and he'll have to be creative when it comes to defeating various enemies. He won't suddenly shoot to Level 100 or get stronger or more skilled at using a sword than people who have been training for decades in the time span of 3 days. These various skills are meant to keep him alive.**

**Thanks for the reviews, faves, and follows and I'm glad that people have been enjoying this story. Please leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana.

Chapter 4: Preparation

**Duelle POV**

Rachel raced up the stairs once she was home, her feet stomping the stairs with every step. The resultant loud bangs announced her inner fury to the world, but only her two closest friends were around to hear them, the way things always were.

Duelle stood in the open front doorway, Rachel not having cared whether or not the door had been left ajar as her bedroom door slammed shut. Teapo poked her head from out of the kitchen and they shared a concerned look before she ducked back in where she had just finished brewing up some of her special orange tea.

Duelle sighed. "Neither one of you will ever learn, will you." He muttered quietly to himself.

He had been friends with Rachel and her family for the past four years, around the same time that Mark had brought Teapo home from Geo to act as a maid around the house. Duelle himself had become acquainted with the family through his travel stories.

It had all started when Duelle had been asked to speak in front of a class in Domina, sharing information from his explorations of various locations. He spoke of the multitude of monsters that he had spotted, of the many locales and their customs, and of the numerous sights that the students, many of whom were naïve of life outside of Domina, could only dream of.

Rachel, having entered the stage that many knew as "teenage rebellion," had snuck into the back of class during the lecture, her parents merely thinking that she was out playing.

While the students were busy taking notes, some occasionally looking up to show they were paying attention, Rachel sat there with rapt attention, completely invested to where she didn't even register the scratching of pencils. Duelle's descriptions painted a vivid picture in her mind, a spark of wanderlust now gleaming in the young girl's eyes with a smile of excitement on her face.

This moment would serve to ignite in Rachel a desire to travel that wouldn't be extinguished and would only grow stronger under her father's suffocating love and her mother's increasing absence.

Duelle shook his head. "Time sure can fly."

He left his spear leaning against the wall and walked up the stairs, rapping his knuckles on the door just as he heard a muffled scream. "Hey, Rachel. Are you okay in there?" He asked loudly enough to be heard.

He then listened with his head against the door as the springs in Rachel's bed squeaked. Her footsteps followed soon after and became louder until she slowly opened the door. Two trails of tears traveled down each of her cheeks and she sniffled a little, evidently worn out by her father's eccentricities.

Rachel stepped back inside and sat on her bed once more, Duelle soon taking the spot next to her.

"I can't do this anymore," Rachel said, Duelle electing to stay silent as she got everything out. "I'm already 16-years-old and yet my dad still treats me like this." Rachel grabbed ahold of a pink pony plushie and threw it across the room where it landed on a pile of teddy bears and other dolls. "Does this look like the kind of room that a girl my age should be sleeping in?" She asked rhetorically.

Duelle, having had similar talks in the past, simply looked around the room that was more befitting of a 5-year-old. The walls were painted baby blue with smiling butterflies and faeries on them. Her bedspread was bubblegum pink and by the bed, a sign hung on the wall which read, "Daddy's little princess." A few vases filled with yellow, pink and orange flowers were spaced around her room and although they smelled lovely, they didn't do much to offset the room's cutesiness.

The only thing that really stood out was a green, egg-shaped stone resting on Rachel's makeup table underneath the seashell-shaped mirror.

"It looks pretty gaudy." Duelle replied, not having anything to say about the room that hadn't already been said.

"And then there's mother…" Rachel trailed off. She thought back to all the times that her mother had left her behind in their prison of a house while she shopped and stopped to chat with different people. Of how little time her mother had actually spent in the house and how her presence lessened more and more as the years passed on. Of all the cold looks that Jennifer had sent Mark, her father never once picking up on the strain in their marriage.

"Even when she's home, mother never wants to spend time with us," Rachel murmured sadly with a downcast expression. At the item shop, Mark and Jennifer would take turns running the place, with them alternating each day. Whenever the shop wasn't busy, Jennifer would simply preoccupy herself with doing inventory and following recent trends in fashion or practicing any one of her wide range of hobbies.

Duelle, having known the family for some time and seeing how distressed Rachel had become, decided to do something that he had been dwelling on for a long while. "How would you like to start your own adventure?"

Rachel wiped away the tears on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Rachel," Duelle addressed softly with a calm voice. "I know you've been using your job as a waitress to save up money to travel to Geo."

"Wha—But how?" Rachel looked surprised with her eyes slightly widened. "I was so sure no one would notice."

"After you got your job," Duelle began to explain. "I saw you start visiting the post office and I know that you don't handle the family business nor do you have anyone to mail anything to." Duelle readjusted himself and continued. "I've also seen the look of longing on your face like you just want to leave everything behind and see the world." Duelle gave her a knowing smile. "That's a look I've worn many times myself."

"I thought I was careful," Rachel replied, not really sure what to say.

"Your parents may not notice what you get up to, but I do." Duelle patted her arm comfortingly. "Teapo and I, we care about you."

Rachel, lost for words, simply let her body takeover and hugged the little onion.

The door slowly creaked open and Teapo hopped inside with a tray of three steaming hot cups of tea. Rachel let go of Duelle, but left her hand on his shoulder as Teapo put the tray down on her bedside table.

"You feelin' any better now, luv?" Teapo asked, handing her a fresh cup of orange blend.

Rachel took a deep sip of tea, the citrus flavor dancing on her tongue. She exhaled, the tea calming her down, and answered, "A bit," Rachel smiled from having such two good friends. "Thanks."

"It was no problem at all, dear." Teapo responded warmly.

Duelle reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a stamp for Geo along with a letter. Rachel accepted the two items and unrolled the paper, her heart beating in exhilaration at what it said.

**Geo Academy of Magic**

**Principal: Mephianse**

**Dear Ms. Waltz,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Geo Academy of Magic. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on ****. We look forward to seeing you then.**

**Sincerely,**

**Nunuzac**

**Head Professor**

Rachel, taking her eyes from the paper, shot forward and wrapped Duelle in another hug, trapping him in a vice-like grip. Teapo, not one to be left out, joined the hug herself. The warmth of Duelle's tiny frame and the cold of Teapo's body reminiscent of a tiled kitchen floor served as a sharp contrast, but brought Rachel comfort nonetheless.

"I don't know what I'd do without you two." Rachel said.

"Probably go insane," Duelle replied with a smirk, earning himself a soft punch to the shoulder.

"We've already purchased all of yer school supplies, luv," Teapo said, continuing the conversation. "So, you 'ave no need to fret about yer books and things."

"What about dad?" Rachel asked, lacking confidence. "With the town in a panic, he's been keeping a closer eye on me."

"In two days, it will be Mark's turn to run the shop again," Duelle started. "When it's time for your shift, I'll offer to walk you to the pub, but instead we'll go to the park where you'll place the stamp on yourself and Pelican will fly you to Geo." Duelle, despite knowing that Pelican had messed up deliveries in the past, wanted to believe that this plan would work.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course, I'm sure!" Duelle announced. "After all, I'm an Onion Warrior!"

Teapo looked at Duelle questioningly. "Duelle, whatever is an onion warrior?"

Duelle shrugged, looking slightly annoyed. "How should I know?"

Rachel just laughed and enjoyed her tea, this being one of the last times that she would see her two beloved friends for quite a while.

**Sean POV**

Sometime earlier, Sean could be seen walking towards the very same house, Mark having offered the usage of his place to help plan out their next course of action. Inspector Boyd's face was contorted in anger, giving him the appearance of a bulldog rather than a mouse, all the while grumbling to himself about the Chobin Hoods attacking trade caravans and some Jewel Thief named Sandra.

Sean, meanwhile, spent this time in silence, going over a list of spells and skills in his head that could benefit his situation and prevent him from becoming an arrow-riddled corpse.

"_I need something long-range,"_ Sean thought desperately as he stared intently at his open right hand. _"My fire spell can only travel about 12 feet before fizzling out."_

"Something on your mind, my good man?" Mark asked, having noticed Sean's worried gaze.

Sean looked Mark in the eye and noticed not a single hint of worry in them. Whether that was because Mark was a powerful warrior or just unaware of what the Domino Effect was, Sean couldn't say for sure.

"Oh, you know, just trying to figure out how to keep myself from getting killed," Sean replied sarcastically. He looked at Mark like he was stupid. "No big deal, really." Sean turned to Inspector Boyd while Mark frowned, his honest smile returning within the next few moments. "Will any of your men be showing up to help?"

"From what's been gathered," Inspector Boyd began as the three of them entered Mark's house, warm air greeting them when they stepped inside. "The Chobin Hood tribe has been entering Domina every 2-3 days, allowing for the town to stock up on more goods for them to steal."

Sean flumped onto the nearby couch, small pillows bouncing up from the force of his drop, while Inspector Boyd sat down next to him and Mark took his place on a rocking chair. "At the same time, they've been attacking trade caravans at a lessened rate, presumably due to the increased risk that traveling warriors hired on by said caravans present."

"Duelle told me earlier that there weren't any fighters around to help right now," Sean said, not having seen any of the sort in town. "Now, I'm assuming that these people follow the transports straight into the town. That being said, couldn't someone have hired them to help protect this place?"

"_Surely this idea had occurred to someone,"_ Sean thought, glancing up at the ceiling due to a pulsing noise that he could hear since entering the house, something only Sean picked up on.

Mark sighed and shook his head sadly. "Many of them often leave with the same caravans after having dropped off their goods and gaining some from town to take elsewhere." Sean narrowed his eyes at the ceiling as the sound grew louder in frequency. Inspector Boyd scowled at the direction the discussion was headed, already knowing what Mark was about to say. "The rest simply laughed and turned us down. They said that we didn't have enough money for them to provide their services. One even said a town this small wasn't worth defending."

"Disgusting," Inspector Boyd spat. "Leaving people to suffer over money." He looked Mark in the eye with steel resolve. "My men will be here when the thieves next strike. You have my word as an officer of the law."

"All hail the almighty Lucre." Sean said, once more looking upwards with a vexed expression. _"Okay, really, what is that?"_ The resonating pulse became stronger still until finally Sean received a new notification.

**Due to your proximity to an artifact, you have received more information**

**Title: Artificer**

**This title allows the user to unleash the mana contained within various artifacts. When near an artifact, the user will hear a pulsing noise indicating that one is close by. The closer the user is, the louder the pulse will become. The user will either have to move far enough away from the artifact or obtain it for the sound to stop.**

**This title doesn't need to be equipped to take effect.**

"_No range, huh?"_ Sean winced, wishing the sound would stop. He was tempted to go find it, but with other people present, Sean figured it'd look pretty weird for a 21-year-old guy to just go barging into a 16-year-old girl's room.

Just then, a door creaked open at the top of the stairs and Teapo came jumping down, the stairs sturdy enough to handle her weight. "Oh!" She exclaimed upon seeing the three men in the living room. "I apologize, gentlemen. I didn't know you all 'ad gotten back 'ere already."

"Nothing to worry about, my dear Teapo," Mark replied, once more in a better mood. He was filled with warmth that there were good people out there who would lend a helping hand. "Why don't you bring out some of your wonderful tea to our guests."

"That sounds like a grand idea, guv," Teapo responded, reentering the kitchen and coming back with another tray of steaming hot tea.

Sean accepted a cup and inhaled, the blood orange scent combined with the couch's comfiness created a homely atmosphere that didn't do much to help with the noise. The pulse wasn't nauseating or disorienting, but rather something that would drive many people bonkers given enough time.

Sean took a deep gulp to calm his nerves, the heat burning his mouth a little and decided to observe the cup in his hand in an attempt to block out the sound.

**Skill Level Up!**

**Observe Lvl 5 → Lvl 6**

**Lvl 1: The user can see the target's stats and a basic description.**

**Lvl 2: The user can see how much experience the target needs to reach the next level.**

**Lvl 5: The user can see the Synchro Effect of the target.**

**Lvl 6: The user can see how many stat points the target has.**

**[Drink] Blood Orange Tea**

**A special blend of tea made using Blood Orange tea leaves that will leave the drinker feeling refreshed and revitalized.**

**Effect: Restores 10% of HP, MP, and TP when consumed.**

**New Recipe Learned!**

**Blood Orange Tea**

**You've gained a new skill!**

**Drink Crafting (Active) Lvl 1 [0%]**

**This skill allows the user to create various kinds of drinks with a diverse range of ingredients. Depending on the ingredients and recipe used, the user can receive different effects from their concoctions. Recipes can be discovered through experimentation, by trying new drinks, or finding hidden notes scattered throughout Fa'Diel. This skill doesn't include potions.**

**Leveling this skill increases the chances of successful drink creation and permits the user to try making more difficult drinks.**

"_Sounds interesting,"_ Sean thought, not having seen a drink making ability in many games. _"But is it the same as the cooking skill?"_

**Food and Drink**

**The consumption of food and drinks is the fifth method of healing available to the user after items, spells, sleeping, and natural regeneration. Much like the Drink Crafting skill, there is a Cooking skill that exists which can be used to make meals and snacks with varying effects such as healing, boosting attack power, and granting more experience for a time.**

"_I'll have to try unlocking that skill once I have more money for food."_ Sean still had only 75 Lucre in his possession. _"And I still need a long-range spell. Hmm."_ "Hey, Mark," Sean said, catching the man's attention. "You wouldn't happen to have any spell books lying around, would you?"

"He does," Duelle answered as he came down the stairs, grabbing his spear once he reached the bottom. "It's not like they're much use though. There's no one around here who can cast spells without the use of instruments and even then, none of the townspeople specialize in magic."

"It sure is a good thing I do then, huh." Sean grinned and held out his hand palm up, a ball of fire appearing above it. Inspector Boyd jumped away in surprise, resulting in some of his tea spilling onto the floor, while everyone else, sans Duelle, stared at the crackling flames with wide-eyed looks of pure astonishment.

Duelle looked intrigued and stepped forward, his hand outstretched to feel the blazing heat. "That's interesting," He said, moving away now that he knew the fire was real. "There aren't many people that I've seen in my travels that can do that. Most people actually can't cast magic this way at all, or humans at the very least. How did you learn to do this?"

"Honestly, I can't explain it." Sean replied with a shrug. "I'm just able to. Now, about those books."

"I'm not sure if I can part with any of them, good sir," Mark said cordially. "My wife was actually planning on sending them to Geo."

"But the town is in trouble," Sean responded with a raised eyebrow, keeping his temper in check despite the small hint of ire entering his tone. "Wouldn't it be better for everyone if I could use them to protect Domina?"

"Just let him take a look and pick some, Mark," Duelle interceded, having been to Geo before and knowing full well that the students there had plenty of books to keep themselves busy with.

"But my lovely orchid might get mad if I don't sell them." Mark looked uncertain. He understood where Sean was coming from, and Duelle was his friend, but he hated to upset his family, ironically.

"You guys won't make much money from them since they're pretty common," Duelle reasoned. "And isn't Rachel's well-being more important?" He asked rhetorically.

Mark shook his head with the knowledge that Duelle was right. "Very well," He said. "Follow me over into the shop."

"_Yeah, that wasn't a complete waste of time,"_ Sean thought, making sure to thank Duelle for his help as the two entered the item store behind Mark.

The shop was a cluttered mess, a wide assortment of items haphazardly scattered about the establishment. Amongst the selection, a grandfather clock stood against the left wall which was joined by its smaller brethren overhead. An array of weapons and armor were displayed on a bookshelf beside the clocks and across from this were cabinets filled with bottles of swirling red and blue liquids. Sean also saw several knick-knacks and toys, but what stood out to him was the strange, lifelike statue of one of the students from Geo.

'Observe'

**?**

"That's odd." Sean muttered, mildly surprised. This was the first time where he hadn't received any information from the Observe skill.

**Quest Alert!**

**The Petrified Potioneer**

**In the "Knight of Jema" item shop in Domina, you stumbled across a lifelike statue sculpted in the likeness of one of the young mages from the Academy of Magic at Geo. Find more information on the statue and how it came to be in Mark and Jennifer's store. Then track down the one who "made" it. **

**Success: Potion Making Skill, 500 Exp, ?, ?, ?**

**Failure: None**

Sean quickly accepted the quest and turned back to Mark who pulled out a chest from behind the front counter. Inside of it, there were 7 spell books covered in a light layer of dust. Sean picked up the first book and blew the dust off, causing him to sneeze into his sleeve a moment later.

Sean breathed deeply through his nose and exhaled in disappointment due to the first tome being for the Fire spell and the next two being the Cure and Repair spells, the three spells he already knew. The next three spell books brought a smile to his face, with the last adding a hint of confusion.

**Aero (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 10 MP**

**This is the most basic wind spell and deals a small amount of damage to enemies. There are two variations of this spell. The first is a strong blast of wind that can hurt and knockback enemies. The second is a gust of razor-sharp air that can cut and shred through foes. At higher levels, the spell will deal more damage. Mastery of this skill can increase wind affinity.**

**Deals wind damage according to this formula: Total = (SPI + Wind Affinity)**

**DMG = Total + (Total * 2%)**

**Current Level: Deals +2% Wind Damage**

**Protect (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 20 MP**

**This skill creates an invisible shield around the user or party member that increases their physical defense for a certain amount of time depending on the skill's level. This spell can stack with other spells and effects.**

**Current Level: Increases Physical Defense by 2% for 30 seconds**

**Calm (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 15 MP**

**This spell causes the target to essentially calm down as indicated by the spell's name. The target's free will remains unaffected by this spell. Can be used on ? to unlock ?.**

**Current Level: Has 1% Chance of Working**

**Effect: Can be used to cure the Berserk status effect**

"_I'd better be careful with that third one."_ Sean could already picture how pissed off people would be if they found out that he was messing with their emotions.

While he absorbed this new information, Mark and Duelle watched each of the three books vanish. Mark looked lost and couldn't make heads or tails of why the tomes were vanishing. Duelle, on the other hand, wanted to question Sean as he had never witnessed this type of thing before, but refrained.

The seventh and final tome was basically one big middle finger and Sean took it as such.

**Would you like to learn this spell?**

**Y/N**

When he pressed 'Y,' Sean received an error message.

**The user cannot currently learn this spell due to not meeting the necessary conditions.**

**Requirements:**

**200 INT**

**200 WIS**

**200 SPI**

"_It would've been really fucking useful too."_ Sean shook his head, but kept the book with him after putting the other three back. After all, the final spell book was for the **Teleport** spell.

Sean turned to Mark and asked, "Where'd you get these books from, anyways?" He felt electrified at the chance of acquiring all of the abilities that popped into his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"There used to be a School of Magic here in Domina," Mark answered, a somber expression on his face in remembrance of why the institution had closed down. "But that was some time ago."

"What happened?" Sean inquired, not remembering this detail from the game.

"Two of the school's students died in an explosion," Duelle informed in an even tone, no uneasiness in his posture. "They were trying to create a new potion and mixed the wrong ingredients together. The guy teaching the school closed it down and left as a result."

"There weren't any other teachers?" Sean asked.

"It was a small school," Duelle responded. "It was more for students who couldn't excel elsewhere."

"Hein and his wife had two children too," Mark added, saddened at the memory of their demise and of how lost Rachel would be without him. "Last I heard, they were at the academy in Geo."

"_Bud and Lisa?"_ Sean wondered.

"Well, that's unfortunate," He said, not actually having felt upset by their deaths because why should he. He didn't know them. "Hey, how much are your potions and armor?" Sean asked after a brief pause.

Paying 50 Lucre, Sean walked out of the item shop with Duelle, 2 Health Potions and 2 Ethers in a bag hanging from his hand and a Menos hauberk over his white, button-down shirt.

**Items Obtained!**

**[Common] Menos Hauberk Durability: 100/100**

**A shirt of chain mail that is made of Menos Bronze. Can be worn together with plate armor for higher defense. There is a wide range of hauberk types, from highly-decorated ceremonial hauberk to hauberk that is too heavy for practical use.**

**Physical Defense: +10**

**[Item] Potion**

**A cherry red potion that restores 25% of the user's HP.**

**[Item] Ether**

**A berry blue potion that restores 25% of the user's MP.**

"Thanks for getting me that discount," Sean said to Duelle as they walked towards the town's entrance. "This should make things a little easier."

"If it helps the town, I'm fine doing it," Duelle replied.

"You know," Sean started, ready to implement an idea he had earlier. "I'm really glad you feel that way because I'm gonna need a favor." Sean held out his hands to halt Duelle's response. "Look, I know you just helped me out a lot, but what I need your assistance with goes beyond just the safety of Domina."

Duelle tilted his head. "How big is this favor?"

"Before I tell you, I need to show you something." Sean put his potions into his inventory, yet another thing that Duelle wanted to ask about since they seemingly vanished into thin air. Checking the Help menu real quick, Sean created a Party and sent an invite to Duelle to join his.

**Sean Rent has sent you a party invite.**

**Would you like to join "Worse Shit is Coming Down the Road?"**

**Confirm Y Refuse N**

Duelle had initially jumped at the sudden appearance of the two blue boxes, but was swiftly overcome by curiosity and his adventurous spirit rising to the surface. He pressed the confirm button and the two boxes disappeared.

Above Sean's head, there was now a red HP bar, along with his name, title, and level that Duelle could see.

**Party System**

**The Party System is a sub-ability of The Gamer that allows the user to invite other people to help them fight monsters, train, complete quests, etc. The party members gain a partial gamer ability from this system as long as they are still in the group. When the members of the party are within 10 levels of the user, they are able to see levels, titles, and an HP bar above their heads.**

Duelle looked up and saw the same things hovering over his own head. "What is this?" He pointed at the HP bar with his spear.

"Something that'll be incredibly beneficial as time goes on," Sean responded, a brainstorm building up in his mind. "Now, I need you to follow me." He started leaving Domina and Duelle, who hesitated slightly due to how suspicious Sean was acting, walked after him.

Their surroundings soon began to blur and they both appeared on the World Map.

"Good. It worked." Sean grinned, thankful that he wouldn't have to wait for hours for a party member to arrive every time he went somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Duelle felt a flare of exhilaration that was strange to him. He had been short all of his life and it was something that he was long used to, but here, standing on the map, Duelle felt like a giant with how much smaller the locations were.

"As I'm sure you can probably tell, this is the world map," Sean said. "I have a unique ability known as The Gamer that allows me to do things like this and what you saw back in town."

"What else can it do?" Duelle asked.

"It allows me to treat life like a game," Sean explained. He didn't feel like he could've told anyone else in town about his powers. "I can take damage that would normally kill a person, sleeping in a bed completely heals me of any injuries, and I can grow stronger much faster than other people and learn spells and skills pretty much instantly."

"That sounds pretty broken," Duelle replied as he noticed how blank the map was.

"I know, but I'm not complaining," Sean responded.

"How come the map is so empty?" Duelle was bothered by how lifeless the map looked when he knew there were many more places to see from his travels.

"That's actually the favor I wanted to ask you about," Sean said as he began his explanation. "Aside from my ability, I'm also an Artificer. That means that I can take specific objects that are filled with Mana and place them on the map to gain access to new locations. One of them just so happens to be in the upstairs room at Mark's place and I need it."

"What's it look like?" Duelle asked.

"The artifact is a small green stone in the shape of an egg." Sean answered.

Duelle frowned. "I gave that to Rachel as a gift from Mekiv Caverns."

"Okay," Sean said as he didn't care what Rachel wanted. "I still need it though."

"Rachel's heading to Geo soon and I thought she could take it with her to remember Domina," Duelle said.

"It's not like you can't visit her," Sean argued, prepared to fight for the artifact if need be. "There will be dire consequences if I don't get that artifact. Like say, the deaths of countless people."

"Is it really that important?" Duelle couldn't mistake the seriousness in Sean's tone.

"Yes." Sean stared into Duelle's eyes with pure conviction. "It's so important that I'll go and steal it myself if I have to."

Duelle seriously contemplated Sean's words before nodding his head. "All right. Let's go get the egg."

The two of them entered Domina once more and Sean waited outside while Duelle went into Rachel's house and grabbed the artifact. Duelle returned shortly after and handed over the artifact before the two stepped onto the world map again.

**Item Obtained!**

**[Legendary] Artifact: Jade Egg**

**By taking a stone formed through the ages inside the earth and shaping it into the source of all things, the earth's creative power was captured inside.**

**Allows the artificer entry into Mekiv Caverns.**

On the World Map, Sean took the Jade Egg and placed it on the white space that was up one and two spots over to the right of Domina. The stone egg suddenly became translucent and sunk into the map, creating a water ripple effect as blue sparkles shot upwards. There was then a bright flash and the entrance to Mekiv Caverns appeared on the map.

**Mekiv Caverns**

**This limestone cavern was created by underground currents. Over the centuries it was hollowed out, and pillars were created. The cavern is made up of many levels.**

Duelle uncovered his eyes and looked on in wonderment before hearing a cough. He saw Sean just staring out into space with a trippy smile on his face.

"Man, what a rush," Sean said as he shook his head to rid himself of his high. "Now I see why so many people fought over Mana." _"Though why didn't I feel it with Domina."_ Sean shrugged. _"Might not be that important."_

**Due to a special action, you have gained a new skill!**

**Cartographic Ambition (Passive) Lvl 3 [0%]**

**A gift for trying to restore Mana back to its proper state in the world, this skill is unique to the artificer. Like a Cartographer making maps in the days of old, the user can only level this skill by further completing the World Map. This skill increases for every location to have ever appeared on the map.**

**Passively increases SPI by 15%**

**Passively increases WIS by 15%**

**Passively increases INT by 15%**

"Are you okay?" Duelle asked sounding concerned.

"Never better," Sean replied as he felt more powerful than before. Sean exhaled. "Sorry about being a dick before," He apologized. "I'm just a bit stressed right now."

Duelle waved it off. "Eh, it happens."

"No, really, I am," Sean responded. "In fact, could you meet up with me tomorrow? There's another part of The Gamer that I need help with."

Duelle nodded. "Alright. I'll see you then."

Sean then disbanded the party after making sure that Duelle got back to Domina and made his way home. "Better to do it later so that no one notices anything too quickly."

**For exercising caution, you have gained +1 INT and +1 WIS**

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 4. I know that some of you wanted to see a fight scene this chapter, but there were some things I needed to set up for later that I had almost forgotten about. With Rachel and other characters, there will be side stories and changes of perspective where the readers get to see more than just what Sean's up to and to help world build.**

**In the game, you get the Jade Egg Artifact from Rachel just before you travel with Elazul to Mekiv Caverns to find Pearl in The Lost Princess quest. If Rachel went to Geo before Sean got the artifact, then he wouldn't be able to help save Pearl.**

**In Japan only, there was a Legend of Mana Ultimania book that gave additional information on the game such as character profiles and tips on how the game's different mechanics worked. There is also some concept art and other things, but there are details inside that you don't see in the game and the book is only in Japanese with no complete translation. The book is also a little over 600 pages long. I did find some information translated online that I'll put in this story.**

**Sean's spells will work similarly to those in RPGs such as the Final Fantasy series. He'll eventually be able to summon fire and other spells in the spot where a target is standing, but I kind of like the idea of him just aiming a spell directly from his hands better.**

**In game, the statue in the Domina item shop had something to do with a 2-player function I believe, but when I was a kid, I didn't have anyone around to play the game with so I never used the two player game mechanics.**

**The Calm spell that Sean just learned will never grant him the ability to brainwash people or take away their free will. It could calm down a target enough to where they might not want to attack him anymore, reputation pending, but that doesn't mean they'll suddenly like or love him. The Calm spell isn't a one-time permanent cast either and the effect can wear off.**

**Due to Gamer's Mind, Sean can never get drunk or high. He can become energized by Mana to the point where it may seem like it though.**

**In game, there are different map configurations that you can do with the artifacts for different effects. What I'm doing is a map called 'Round the Tree Again.' How this map works can be seen on the legendofmana dot info website.**

**There are also 6 moons in the world of Fa'Diel and I've been looking at the Legend of Mana LP by Mega64 on the Let's Play Archive website to help me write this story and to make sure I don't forget to include anything important.**

**Sorry about the long author's notes, but I just wanted to clarify a few things so that no one would get confused.**

**Thanks for the reviews, faves, and follows and I'm glad that people have been enjoying this story. There will be a fight scene next chapter and perhaps a look at how Sean trains his spells and skills. Duelle will also get an improvement. Please leave a review.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana or the Final Fantasy series.

**(Update 10/5/19) Here's the second version of Chapter 5.**

Chapter 5: Caverns

Sean sat naked in his laundry room while he waited for his clothes to finish being washed. With no one else around and Lil' Cactus never leaving his room, Sean wasn't bothered by his nudity. Though with it still being dark out and the sun not rising for at least another hour, it wasn't like he could've been seen anyway.

His only company in the small, rectangular room was the occasional hoot of an owl outside and the rumbling of the washing machine as it went about its job. The icy touch of the tile floor and the smell of laundry detergent barely registered to him as Sean watched the rinse cycle like his favorite TV program, his mind miles away.

"I'm going to die aren't I?" Sean uttered to the lonely house. He rubbed his hands over his face in anxiety, praying that things wouldn't turn out as badly as he pictured they would.

**Prayer Lvl 1 → Lvl 2**

**Prayer (Active/Passive) Lvl 2 [0%] Cost: 0 TP**

**Normally meant as a way to convey thanks to or ask God for something, this skill allows the user to heal their entire party for a small amount of HP. This skill cannot be silenced or reflected.**

**Effect: Heals the whole party for 4% of Max HP**

Sean absentmindedly closed the window and continued to think on his lack of preparedness until his washer beeped, signaling that his clothes were now clean. Sean stood up from the chair he brought in from the dining area and felt some relief since the chair started to leave marks in his bare behind.

He pulled open the door to his dryer and smelled his shirt, the scent of lavender dancing in his nose. While enjoyable, the aroma did little to ease his mind and Sean threw his few articles of clothing into the dryer before sitting back down.

An hour prior, Sean finished his training and had to stop since his clothes were starting to gain sentience with his sweaty pants clinging to his legs like a teary-eyed child. After Duelle left, he spent the rest of the previous day and most of the night mainly focused on running to build up his DEX, but he did work on his other stats and skills as well.

**STR: 10 → 20**

**VIT: 13 → 22**

**DEX: 30 → 50**

**SPI: 7 → 20**

**Yoga Lvl 7 → Lvl 9**

**Breath Control Lvl 3 → Lvl 5**

**1H Sword Mastery Lvl 2 → Lvl 4**

**Aero Lvl 1 → Lvl 5**

**Protect Lvl 1 → Lvl 4**

**Fire Lvl 3 → Lvl 5**

**Cure Lvl 2 → Lvl 5**

**Physical Endurance Lvl 1 → Lvl 3**

But even with his great gains, Sean knew that it wouldn't be enough. "What the fuck am I supposed to do?" He could practically feel the reaper hovering over his shoulders, the grim, skeletal face laughing in macabre mockery. Sean shook his head to rid himself of the ghastly image and looked at the clock, the time reading 5:07 AM.

He continued this way until the dryer parroted its neighbor. Sean put his clothes back on and felt the comforting warmth embrace him. He trudged out of the laundry room and up the stairs to his bedroom, feeling shitty all the way.

While no longer requiring sleep, Sean felt mentally ill. He felt like a college student who stayed up all night cramming for an exam that they forgot about until that evening, an exam they knew there was no way of passing. Every word read one moment would spill out the next as if their head was a bucket with holes in it. It was a feeling he was well-acquainted with not long ago, considering it was only a few months back that he graduated from college with honors.

Sean flumped onto his bed, the impact causing the coils in his mattress to creak. He lay there until he fell asleep, something he felt would be harder to do than it was.

In a few short hours, Sean was woken up by knocking at his front door.

Rolling off the bed, Sean walked down stairs barefoot and peered through the spyhole. On the other side, he saw Duelle standing there, accompanied by Mark and two other men who looked strangely familiar.

Sean opened the door and held his right hand over his eyes to block the morning's blinding light. There were droplets of fresh dew sprinkled on the grass and only a few clouds hanging about in the sky showed it would be a good day. Two of Fa'Diel's six moons were still visible.

"Good morning!" Mark trumpeted happily. The man in the blue uniform winced and rubbed the side of his head while big red shot the proud father a disgruntled look.

"Uh, yeah. Good morning to you too," Sean replied with much less enthusiasm before looking at the rest of the group. "So, what're you all doing here?"

"Greetings, sir." The man in the blue uniform stepped forward and spoke formally. "I'm Lieutenant Wedge and this is my superior, Major Biggs. We've been sent by Inspector Boyd to assist you in the defense of Domina."

Sean turned to Duelle. "What all did you tell them?" He asked.

Duelle, now wearing a knife bandolier, answered, "I just told Boyd that we had a sure-fire way to keep the town safe." Duelle then asked skeptically, "You weren't thinking of taking on the whole tribe by yourself, were you?"

"Not originally, no," Sean responded, knowing that doing so was tantamount to suicide. "But when it seemed like there was no one in town to help me, I figured that was my only option."

"It took some convincing," Duelle said. "But with Boyd grasping at straws, he agreed to send two of his best men over here with me."

"Thanks for that," Sean replied, his straight face hiding his inner relief. "But you need to be careful about who you tell." He could already picture the crap that would follow if certain individuals became aware of his presence too early. "Seriously, there's always some power-hungry douchebag with a god complex or revenge-filled idiot out there lurking in the shadows with ludicrous plans. I don't need anyone relentlessly hounding me for power like a stalky ex-girlfriend.

"This is the guy we have to take orders from, some blubbering, hopped-up punk, che," Biggs said irritably with a frown. He expected to meet a muscular, well-seasoned warrior, not some young white dude with not a scar on him.

"It will be fine, sir," Wedge replied in a calming tone while Sean narrowed his eyes at Biggs from his front door. "Duelle said he could help the people and the Inspector believes in both of them."

"Yeah," Biggs scoffed. "Well the Inspector also thinks he's gonna catch that jewel thief too. What a laugh." Biggs responded, clearly not happy about his current circumstances. "Let's get this over with."

Biggs approached Sean, the young man now remembering this particular iteration, and said, "Boyd mentioned you could do some magic to make people stronger. Is that right?"

"I never actually told anyone that I could make them stronger," Sean answered, annoyed by the officer's rudeness. "Although I can."

Biggs possessed the bulk of a bodybuilder, evidently a lover of physical workouts. He sported a red police uniform with a blue shirt visible underneath. A robotic-looking gauntlet which covered his shoulder all the way to Biggs' wrist, was worn on each arm. The shiny, steel gray metal stopped just short of a pair of black gloves. The man donned a helmet with a visor built into it, leaving only the lower half of his face visible. The visor had four red holes with black pupils reminiscent of eyes in them.

Wedge was much thinner, having something closer to a runner or swimmer's build. He sported the same type of helmet as Biggs, but wore a blue police uniform instead. Armor the same color as Biggs' gauntlets covered Wedge's chest, shoulders, arms, and pelvic region, the last one Biggs also wore to keep himself safe. A long, two-handed sword rested on his back, waiting for its next battle.

Sean looked back to Duelle. "Where'd you plan on going?" Sean asked because why else would everyone look ready for a fight.

"Why, we're all going to Mekiv Caverns?" Mark beamed, radiating with exuberance like the sun. It might have been a trick of the eye, but everyone else could've sworn they saw sparkles around the man.

It was then Sean noticed the sturdy-looking tower shield on Mark's back. The front of the shield was decorated with the emblem of an atlas moth. The proud father was also equipped with a large broadsword that appeared more suited for two-handed wielding.

"What he said." Duelle gestured to Mark with a thumb over his shoulder. "I thought that if you could make yourself stronger quickly, then it could be done for others too."

"Again I can," Sean repeated. "I just hope Boyd keeps quiet about this."

"You don't have anything to worry about," Biggs waved off his concern. "No one would take him seriously enough if he started spouting about you."

"Well to have gotten as far as he has, Boyd has to have some measure of competence," Sean replied in defense, thinking that Boyd was an all right guy. "I mean, would he really be an Inspector if he sucked that much."

Biggs made to respond when Duelle cut him off. "Will you travel with us to the caverns?" Wedge sent a silent thanks to the onion warrior for stopping the argument before it could escalate.

"How far have you actually been inside the caverns?" Sean asked with a raised eyebrow. "I know that's where you found the Jade Egg Artifact, but I took a trip there yesterday and the lowest level enemy I spotted was Lvl 10." And wasn't that the alarming surprise. Sean wound up catching the attention of a whole group of monsters and fled in fear.

Though just like many other games, the creatures nor their attacks were able to follow him onto the World Map. Sean found that to be a useful piece of information, indeed.

"I have no idea how much stronger they'll become deeper in," Sean continued. "Heck, they could be up to Level 50 and none of us would realize this until it was too late."

"Levels?" Wedge wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure if you all know what a video game is, but levels in a game are usually a good indicator of how strong a character is." Sean explained patiently, foreseeing future repetitions of this clarification.

"What level are you?" Duelle asked, expecting Sean to be a decent level with such an ability as The Gamer.

"I'm only Lvl 1 right now," Sean responded, to the others' visible surprise. "I've mainly been focusing on my stats and skills since I got here."

"Lvl 1," Biggs repeated mockingly. "That's it? If you're that weak, then your power can't be anything special. I bet my level is huge."

"Let's find out then," Sean replied, narrowing his eyes again. He didn't appreciate the red officer's condescending attitude and was getting sick of his crap.

Using Observe on them all, Duelle's stats were the same as before and Sean still couldn't see Mark's information. He could see Biggs' and Wedge's details though.

"You're at Lvl 16," Sean informed. "You're pretty strong, but you're a turtle in terms of speed." In comparison to Sean, that is.

"That's it," Biggs replied disbelievingly, expecting the number to be higher. "There must've been an error." He got a sudden thought. "Hey, what's Wedge's level? I bet it's smaller than mine."

"Jeez man," Duelle frowned and shook his head. "Think about your wording."

"And the obvious innuendo," Sean added on before answering, "Wedge is a level higher than you."

"What!?" Biggs exclaimed. "How can he be a higher level than me?"

Sean shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. Maybe he does more fieldwork than you," Sean replied with a shit-eating smile, pissing Biggs off even more.

"There's no need to get angry, sir," Wedge said to calm his friend down. "You can train more and I'm sure you'll get there."

"Do you feel like going now that you've seen their strength?" Duelle asked.

"I'd probably be able to give an answer if I knew how strong Mark was," Sean replied while Mark looked deep in thought off to the side.

"I can't tell what level Mark is, but Wedge and Biggs make a good team and I'm sure that Mark is stronger than the two of them put together." Duelle stated assuredly, no amount of doubt creeping into his voice.

Sean thought it over. "Going there would level me up faster than just staying here." He found it incredibly tempting to go with them. "But I'm still not sure."

"C'mon, where's your sense of adventure?" Duelle asked with a smile.

"Held at gunpoint by fear and common sense," Sean deadpanned.

"What's a gun?" Duelle inquired with a tilt of the head.

"Never mind that," Sean replied quickly, aiming never to introduce guns to Fa'Diel. There was already enough trouble in the world without them, Sean thought. "Are you going to stick around unless I go with you?" When Duelle nodded, Sean sighed. "Okay, I'll travel with you guys, but the moment I say 'leave,' we leave." No one could mistake the seriousness in his tone nor miss his piercing, laser-like eyes. "I don't know if it's the only one, but aside from the regular monsters, there's a boss monster in there you do not want to draw the attention of."

"You realize you just jinxed us, right?" Biggs asked.

"I don't believe in that crap," Sean replied, irritated by how someone always brought up luck or that stupid law. "It's like going down a dark alley at night and getting stabbed. It wasn't bad luck. The person went into a clearly dangerous area and didn't exercise common sense."

Sean turned back to Duelle. "You guys don't need to grab anything else do you?" Duelle shook his head. "All right, then. Just let me go put on my shoes and I'll be right back."

Mark, who was quiet until now, finally asked, "What did you mean by innuendo?"

Duelle shook his head with a smirk and Sean snorted, finding it weird that a man Mark's age, especially one with a daughter, could be that oblivious. Biggs regarded Mark as being stupid and Wedge didn't react other than a light smile, too polite to answer the question.

A short time later, Sean returned ready for adventure and created a party aptly named, **"Party of Five."**

Initially surprised by the sudden appearance of the blue boxes, Biggs even jumping back with a yelp in fright, the other three members accepted the group invitation upon seeing Duelle do so with no hesitation. With everyone ready, Sean stepped onto the World Map with the others following behind. Though, Wedge did have to catch Biggs when he almost tripped due to the scenery transition.

Sean snickered silently at that and was glad to have others with him, despite still feeling worried.

There was a safety net in place in case the worst happened. It arrived in the form of a new game function Sean discovered earlier that morning. And Sean, being an avid gamer for years, felt embarrassed that he forgot a feature characteristic of most video games.

**Save System**

**A mechanic in most video games, the Save System allows the user to save their game, providing them with a point to return to in the case of a game over, making a costly error, or after simply taking a break. With this system, the user can also delete, copy, and load save files.**

"Interesting," Wedge spoke in amazement as he glanced around the World Map. "What is this place…?" He trailed off, not remembering the young man's name.

"Sean," the man himself supplied.

"My apologies," Wedge responded evenly. "What is this place, Sean?"

Sean spread out his arms. "This, gentlemen, is the World Map," He elucidated helpfully. "Right now, there are only three locations available for travel: my house, Domina, and Mekiv Caverns. I can use this map to travel anywhere. It's not quite instant, but pretty damn close to it."

"Why are there no other areas, my good man?" Mark asked, feeling perturbed much like Duelle had by how desolate the map was. Biggs, on the other hand, pondered the applications of this specific part of Sean's ability.

"I need to find more artifacts to complete the map," Sean continued. "They're specific objects with Mana stored inside them that once released will cover the map with more locations."

"Excuse me, but how are we able to travel to these places, whereas you require these artifacts to do so," Wedge asked. Something clicked in Duelle's subconscious upon hearing the others' questions and Sean's explanation again. Duelle ruminated on this and adopted a worried expression which he kept hidden.

Sean shrugged. "I couldn't say," He quickly replied, though Duelle caught the unease in Sean's tone. "All I know is that this is how it works."

Filing his question away for later, Duelle asked in a neutral manner. "Didn't you say yesterday that there was another part of your ability that you needed help with?"

Sean wondered what Duelle meant at first until it all came back to him. "Oh right, your stats."

"Stats?" Wedge asked again, taking mental notes of everything happening.

"They're a set of numerical values representing how much you've grown in different attributes such as Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence." Sean pondered writing a book which detailed all aspects of The Gamer, but thought better of it and threw the idea away. "Which reminds me, can all of you say the word 'stats' please?"

Everyone did so right away, except for Biggs whose shoulder Wedge shook to bring his friend back down to earth.

"Huh?" Biggs shot Wedge a questioning look, but thin blue gestured to Sean who was waiting on him. "Oh, uh, right." Biggs awkwardly brought up his own stats window.

Sean could see everyone's stats except for Mark, something he was already expecting. What put a damper on his mood, was the fact that also meant Sean couldn't see Mark's stat points and thus found himself unable to allocate them anywhere.

"Sorry, Mark," Sean said regretfully. "I can't improve your stats since you're too high of a level for me to see."

Mark wasn't bothered in the slightest by this. "No worries, friend. I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end. I'm certain of it."

"_I'm glad one of us is."_

"As for the rest of you, how would you like your points allocated?" Sean asked, already knowing where to put the points. He felt like it was a good idea to ask though, considering that the attributes were theirs and he didn't want to come off as too much of a dick. "We'll be going up against a tribe that specializes in archery," he said as a reminder to keep them from being solely focused on strength or intelligence.

"Just spread the points out evenly between STR, DEX, and VIT," Duelle answered, betraying no emotion. On the inside, however, he secretly longed to dump all of his stat points into DEX since for years Duelle's been sick and tired of having to waddle everywhere and of being slower than almost everyone else.

"I'd be thankful if you could do the same for me, sir," Wedge replied civilly. "With maybe a few points in INT and WIS if that's acceptable."

"You can just call me 'Sean,' dude." Sean said, seeing no need to be so formal.

"Very well, Sean," Wedge replied.

"Just do the same as them," Biggs spoke simply, his mind still elsewhere.

Sean didn't know what Biggs was thinking about and decided to just move past it and assign each of their points.

**Name: Duelle**

**Race: Onion Person**

**Title: Onion Warrior**

**Age: 25**

**Level: Lvl 9 Next Level: 3,847/12,200**

**HP: 531.25/531.25 → 937.5/937.5**

**TP: 450/450 → 1250/1250**

**MP: 800/800**

**STR: 10 → 20**

**VIT: 17 → 30**

**DEX: 8 → 30**

**INT: 32**

**WIS: 43**

**SPI: 3**

**LUK: 5**

**Synchro Effect: [Defense Plus Lvl 1]**

**Effect: Decreases all physical damage taken by 30% when within 20 ft. of a party member.**

**Perk: ?**

**Stat Points: 45 → 0**

**Description: An onion warrior. He likes everything straight-forward, and hates people like Niccola with a passion.**

Duelle froze completely before hissing in mild pain. He experienced his bones shifting slightly and his muscles stretching and twisting. Despite the ache in his body, Duelle looked at his arms in astonishment due to his biceps growing bigger. Fighting the subsiding pain, Duelle took his spear and swung it as hard as he could. A blade of air shot from the weapon's edge and travelled about 20 to 30 feet before dissipating.

"Wow," Sean said, not expecting Duelle to be capable of sending a flying attack by the look of his stats. "I wish I could do that."

Duelle stared at his spear in wonderment and silently thought about what other gifts came with Sean's upgrade.

Mark was colored impressed and was happy for his friend who he knew often times felt inadequate. Biggs and Wedge, on the other hand, grew excited with Biggs being the more obvious of the two.

"Do me next!" Biggs yelled at Sean.

"I'm standing right here, dude." Sean sounded annoyed while he wiped some spit off his cheek.

**Name: Biggs**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Police Major**

**Age: 29**

**Level: Lvl 16 Next Level: 33,563/73,580**

**HP: 1625/1625 → 2000/2000**

**TP: 3300/3300 → 4850/4850**

**MP: 200/200 → 250/250**

**STR: 90 → 114**

**VIT: 65 → 80**

**DEX: 42 → 80**

**INT: 8 → 10 **

**WIS: 8 → 9**

**SPI: 1**

**LUK: 2**

**Synchro Effect: [Brothers in Arms Lvl 2]**

**Effect: When within 40 ft. of Wedge or a fellow officer, all stats increase by 60%.**

**Stat Points: 80 → 0**

**Description: Ranked a major in the police force, Biggs is the best friend of Wedge and aims to one day make it big.**

**Name: Wedge**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Police Lieutenant**

**Age: 28**

**Level: Lvl 17 Next Level: 90,843/91,240**

**HP: 1775/1775 → 2100/2100**

**TP: 3375/3375 → 5175/5175**

**MP: 525/525**

**STR: 57 → 75**

**VIT: 71 → 84**

**DEX: 78 → 132**

**INT: 21**

**WIS: 22**

**SPI: 14**

**LUK: 7**

**Synchro Effect: [Brothers in Arms Lvl 2]**

**Stat Points: 85 → 0**

**Description: A lieutenant in the police force, Wedge is the best friend of Biggs and aims to be of further service to his colleagues and to the well-being of the people.**

Once the stat points were allotted, the two officers froze like Duelle did, but their reaction was much more intense.

Wedge fell forward to his knees and drew his sword just in time to stop himself from falling flat on his face. The blade stabbed into the ground with Wedge's arms wrapped around it like a lifesaver. Both of his hands grasped the hilt of the blade so hard that his knuckles cracked. His head rested against the guard and his eyes slammed shut, no longer able to stay open under the great suffering.

Biggs almost hit the ground like his friend, but bent his knees in the nick of time and stood hunched over. A scream erupted from his throat and he clenched his teeth to keep it from escaping, as well as from biting his own tongue off. His fists were clenched to the point where the whites of his knuckles could be seen if he wasn't wearing gloves.

Mark reached out to help them, but stopped and slowly drew his hand back since he didn't know what to do. Instead, he stuck to watching them in sympathy with a frown on his face.

Duelle stood there silently for a moment before he turned to Sean and asked, "Is the reaction always going to be this visceral?"

Sean laughed uncomfortably. "That's kind of my fault," he replied awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head. "I should've assigned the stat points in increments, but I've never done this before and we're on a time crunch so, yeah."

For a whole minute, the two men suffered through sheer agony. Their muscles twisted, shifted, and tore themselves apart only to rebuild to accommodate their bodies' new strength. Biggs felt a slight twinge in his head, but otherwise the pain stayed out of their skulls. Under their uniforms, visible movement occurred across their bodies from bones popping out of and back into place until the muscles settled.

Once the pain evaporated, Biggs stood straight up and helped Wedge to his feet, the thinner man's legs having turned into noodles. Wedge continued to use his sword for support with both hands resting on the weapon's pommel while Biggs stumbled over to Sean and got in his face.

"Why didn't you warn us about that!?" Biggs barked, clearly pissed. Wedge didn't look too happy either, but didn't say anything.

"Look. I'm sorry, okay," Sean replied, sounding less sincere than he should have. "This power is new to me and I didn't know that would happen." Sean paused. "Still, no pain no gain, right?"

"I'll show you pain, punk." Biggs pulled back his fist to punch Sean. Before the hit landed, something Sean could've dodged in Biggs' current state, Biggs' hand was caught by Mark.

"Settle down there, friend," Mark said. The man's friendly expression was underlay by an edge in his voice. "Sean said he didn't know that would happen and what reason would he have to lie?"

"I don't know," Biggs said. When it was clear he wouldn't trying anything else, Mark released Biggs' fist and the other man backed off. "Just don't do that again."

"I can't promise anything," Sean said evenly. "I'll probably go through the same pain myself later."

"Whatever, I don't care." Biggs walked off in a huff to Mekiv Caverns. Without Sean there, Biggs learned that he was unable to enter the location.

Sean walked up to Wedge and apologized, "I really am sorry, but boosting stats is always gonna lead to some pain or discomfort."

"It's fine, sir." Wedge replied, his legs back under control. "You didn't mean it and it's for the good of the people." Wedge didn't say anything else as he went to the caverns to join his friend.

Duelle walked up next to Sean while Mark moved on ahead. "That could've gone better," Sean stated.

"You need to use more tact," Duelle replied, not being mean, just speaking his mind. "'No pain, no gain,' really." If Duelle had eyebrows, one would be raised at Sean.

Sean exhaled. "Okay, I'll admit that wasn't the best thing to say, but it just popped into my head."

The two friends stood in silence before Duelle said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Well you just did, but sure."

"Are you stuck here?" Concern drifted into Duelle's voice.

"What do you mean?" Sean asked, betraying no emotion.

"You told me before and with the others just now that artifacts are needed to fill the map," Duelle started slowly, but not patronizingly like a high school counselor. "When Wedge asked you why you needed them to travel from place to place, you said you didn't know, but you do, don't you."

Sean looked towards the others who were far enough away not to hear him before turning back to Duelle. "With the town being robbed and how the tribe will react to us, I didn't want to bring my own issues into it." Sean took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and opened them with the exhale of mental fatigue. "I didn't decide to help the town just because I'm a good person or because I need the money. I literally have no choice in the matter."

Duelle stayed silent while Sean continued to speak.

"If the town keeps getting ransacked or destroyed if the tribe gets bold enough to do so, then I'll effectively be a prisoner in my own home." There was no mistaking the trepidation in his voice. "I don't know if anyone's keeping an eye on me since that stupid Pelican brought me here, but the thought of being eternally stuck at my house, never seeing anyone, is fucking terrifying."

"What do you mean Pelican brought you here?" Duelle remembered from before that Pelican messed up Sean's delivery, but he thought it was over a simple letter.

"I didn't start living in this place until two days ago," Sean replied, pointing to his house. "Monday morning, or Salamander Day for you, I was about to go to my new job when that stupid bitch swooped down from out of nowhere and kidnapped me." Sean started to rant. "I'm probably fired now, I have to fight against enemies who are probably gonna kill me since I've never been in a fight in my life, and I've most likely been declared missing back home, but there's a good chance I won't go back since there's a time difference between here and there and I don't want to return only to find myself 20 years in the future like Rip Van fucking Winkle." Sean rubbed his face with his right hand. "Fuck."

Duelle, seeing his friend freak out like this, put his hand on Sean's knee. "I don't know where Pelican brought you from, but I'm sure things will be fine."

"I wish I could believe that because this is just the tip of the iceberg." A tribe of archers was nothing compared to the nightmares of a monster rising from the depths of The Underworld and a mighty wyrm destroying the world.

"Is everything all right over here?" Mark came over to see what the hold-up was.

"We're good," Duelle replied with a straight face. "I was just showing Sean my paralytic and poison-tipped knives."

"Oh, well if you two are ready then we should be off," Mark replied.

Sean whispered thanks to Duelle before the three men joined up with Biggs and Wedge and entered the caverns.

Outside the entrance, there was a group of monsters of the same species milling about. The monsters were short, a few inches shorter than Duelle, with sleepy-looking eyes which varied in color from blue to gray. The creatures' whole bodies were white and they possessed stubby arms and short legs that looked suited for jumping. Each of their heads was characterized by a round, pointed muzzle with a part going backwards into another rounded point like a pterodactyl.

**Poto –Oddity-**

**STR: ?**

**WK: ?**

**Description: A really sleepy-looking monster that attack enemies by licking them.**

The group consisted of 5 monsters and they ranged between Levels 10-15.

"Is that what you were so afraid of?" Biggs asked mockingly.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Sean replied. "I know of a number of creatures that could kill you that don't look that threatening."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

Sean started listing them off with his fingers. "Box Jellyfish, Slow Loris, Blue Dragon, Poison Dart Frog...There are more of them, but they're out there."

"Excuse me, sirs, but shouldn't we refocus on the matter at hand." Wedge interrupted.

"That's a good idea," Sean replied before turning to Mark. "Hey, Mark." The older man looked to see what he wanted. "Would you mind weakening those monsters for me? I need experience points to level up and experience points are gained by defeating monsters and completing quests." Sean explained. "And, since I'm Lvl 1, I'm not sure if I want to take one of those Poto on at full health."

"It's no trouble at all, friend," Mark replied merrily. Mark unsheathed his sword with his right hand and took his tower shield in his left. He approached the monsters with a steady gait before vanishing. Sean's eyes widened at how fast Mark was while Duelle watched the incoming spectacle.

Appearing in the middle of the group, Mark swung the flat of his blade and knocked one of the creatures into the air like a baseball before any of them realized that he was there.

**-750 HP**

**Poto (x5)**

**HP: 780 to 1,300**

**TP: 1625 to 3000**

**MP: 25**

**STR: 40 to 70**

**VIT: 31 to 52**

**DEX: 25 to 50**

**INT: 1**

**WIS: 1**

**LUK: 2**

**SPI: 0**

"Damn," Sean uttered in amazement. "He almost one shot that thing."

"Told you he was strong," Duelle replied with a smirk.

Knowing what he had to do, Sean withdrew his own blade and attacked.

_**Iai Strike!**_

**-45 HP**

Light gathered in Sean's sword and the luminescent blade shined with a flashing white light. He then lunged forward and swung his sword through the air. From the blade, a beam of brilliance shot out and sliced through its downed target. The poto let out a terrible cry as its life was ended and Sean, now feeling awful, covered his mouth to keep down the rising bile.

"_It had to be done. It's for survival."_ Sean told himself repeatedly in his mind like a mantra.

**Enemy Slain! Level 10 Poto! +3000 Exp. Gained!**

**Level Up! (x3)**

**Sean Rent Lvl 1 → Lvl 4**

**+6 Perk Points = 8 Total Perk Points**

**Stat Points: 5 → 20**

**Iai Strike Lvl 1 → Lvl 2**

"First time?" Duelle asked rhetorically upon seeing Sean's unsettled state. Sean merely nodded in response. "It doesn't get easier," Duelle said empathetically. "But sometimes things need to be done. Most monsters hate people so they won't think twice about harming us."

Duelle cut down one of the others with a flying slash that Mark knocked down with his shield. Biggs hung back from the fight and Wedge followed his superior's example. The three remaining enemies then realized that Mark was too powerful to deal with and turned their attention to the weaker threat.

This action cost one of them as Mark stabbed his sword downwards, skewering one of the poto in the back through to its front. The life left its eyes and it collapsed to the earth.

The other two leapt into the air to attack Sean and Duelle, but the attack never connected due to a sudden explosion enveloping the monsters. The boom was close enough to where a faint ringing was left in Sean's ears and Duelle was knocked off balance. Duelle tried to stay standing by waving his arms only to fail and wind up on the ground.

**Poto: -1000 HP (x2)**

Sean stuck his fingers in his ears to make the noise leave. He then helped Duelle back to his feet and made sure the onion was okay. Seeing his friend was fine, Sean glared at Biggs. "You better watch where you aim that thing, asshole." A threat lied in his voice.

"Relax, kid. I'm a professional." Biggs replied, not the least bit sorry about his actions. "You were never in the blast zone."

"How the hell is he a police major exactly?" Sean asked Wedge who didn't agree with his friend's attitude.

Wedge sighed. "I know his behavior is unacceptable, but please don't fight with him. He's better once you get to know him."

"I don't think I want to." That idea sounded about as fun as drinking hot soda in the middle of summer.

"He's not a bad person. He just acts this way to hide his cowardice." Wedge informed, well aware of his friend's lack of courage.

"I'll have to see it to believe it." Sean walked to Duelle and cast the Cure spell on him. Green light emanated from his hands and caused the few minor injuries on Duelle to heal, erasing all of the onion's pain. Duelle gave Sean a thumbs up in gratitude.

The two poto left were lying down on their backs, dizzy and charred.

Sean dumped all 20 of his stat points into STR and started hacking away until one of them was finished off while Duelle took care of the other.

**STR: 20 → 40**

**Enemy Slain! Level 12 Poto! +2800 Exp. Gained!**

**Level Up!**

**Sean Rent Lvl 4 → Lvl 5**

**+2 Perk Points**

**Stat Points: 0 → 5**

**1H Sword Mastery Lvl 4 → Lvl 5**

"Man I feel better," Sean murmured with his increased strength, feeling little to no pain unlike the others. "I'm really glad I came out here now."

Suddenly, the bodies of their fallen foes vanished leaving no traces of them behind. In their place, there appeared a stack of Lucre notes totaling to 1,000. Biggs stared in astonishment at the money before smirking and scooping up the moolah for himself.

"Another function of The Gamer I take it?" Duelle asked.

"Yeah," Sean confirmed. "Whenever an enemy is defeated by myself or a party member, an award of sorts is left behind. It can be a crafting item, a weapon, money, or any one of many other items. I just wish the money appeared in my pocket rather than having to pick it up."

Duelle gave Sean a sly grin. "Just make sure Niccola never finds out about this. She'll probably jump your bones if she does."

Sean coughed. "I'll make a note of it."

"Can you make more money appear?" Biggs asked, glad that something worthwhile was finally happening on this crummy assignment. The smirk refused to leave his face while he waved the stack of bills in his hand for emphasis.

"It's so funny how people change their tone when money's involved," Sean muttered to himself sardonically. "Money and other goods will only appear when an enemy has been defeated."

"Why are we wasting time then. C'mon, Wedge!" Biggs made to leave before he halted to Sean's voice.

"You can take some of the money," Sean said with a stern face, conveying to Biggs that everything wouldn't go solely to him. And, though he was addressing Biggs, Sean spoke loud enough for everyone else to hear his words. "But any spell books, artifacts, or other magical items we come across are mine." His tone left no room for argument. "Anything else we find will be divided up fairly depending on who wants it."

"We understand, sir." Wedge replied before Biggs could say anything else and potentially create more tension among the group.

Sean then healed himself of what little HP he was missing and the group journeyed on into the Mekiv Caverns proper.

A new notification popped up right when he stepped inside.

**You have entered a Dungeon.**

**Dungeons**

**A dungeon is a special area in a video game, typically an RPG (role-playing game), in which the player and their party will navigate their way through a labyrinthine environment (aka dungeon), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. At times, a dungeon can have plot significance or be part of a quest while at others they are merely a secret area serving as a challenge to the player. It is virtually guaranteed there will be one boss somewhere in the dungeon, perhaps even more.**

The inside of the caverns was dank and the limestone floors were wet and covered in dirt. Droplets of water fell down onto their heads and light streamed into the dark caverns from openings in the ceiling. Small, white coral-like plants dotted the area here and there and great stalactites hung above them like icicles. Below them rested their stalagmite brethren, who were just as sharp and pointed.

Sean couldn't help picturing the maw of some voracious beast while he stared at its "teeth."

Mark clapped his hand onto Sean's shoulder causing the younger man to jump with widened eyes. "It sure is an awe-inspiring sight, is it not?" Mark said, admiring the surrounding beauty.

"Kind of makes me wish I brought my camera with me," Sean replied. He thought the place was interesting, but he fully expected to draw the primate's attention. "Make sure to keep an eye out. There's a boss monster here that I'm sure will show up." Mark nodded without a smile, something Sean took to mean Mark was serious. "By the way, how did you get so strong, Mark? Considering you run an item shop, I expected you'd be weaker than you are."

"I was quite the adventurer before I met my sugar plum, Jennifer," Mark regaled enthusiastically like his whole life was an epic quest. Mark was easily the biggest ham Sean ever met. "I'd climb trees, explore the mountains, and meet interesting people, but then my beautiful wife gifted me with my daughter Rachel and I finally felt like I obtained something of true value, more precious than all the riches in the world."

"That's great, man." Sean replied. Mark was a good father in his eyes, but the man still needed to give his daughter breathing room.

"Would you all get a move on?" Biggs asked irritably. "We're burning daylight over here."

"I hope Wedge is right," Sean said. "Because this is going to become a real issue if I have to keep working with him."

"Just give it time," Mark responded. "I've met my fair share of nasty people in life and I've often found that the best thing to do is to simply be kind. Be nice and try to gain an understanding of them, but never let them push you around." His dad advice was sound, yet kind of lame at the same time.

**Above!**

Sean wasn't given enough time to register the warning when a big, hairy bat landed on his shoulder and bit into his neck.

**Bloodsucker –Aerial-**

**STR: ?, ?**

**WK: ?, ?**

**Description: Attacks with ultrasonic waves. For some strange reason it belongs to the Aerial Group.**

**Due to a special event, you've gained a new skill!**

**Sense Danger (Passive) Lvl 1 [14%]**

**This skill lets the user detect things and situations that present an imminent threat or danger to the user. Can also notify the user of danger to party members when in a party. At higher levels, this restriction can be bypassed.**

**Range: 3 meters**

**-100 HP**

"Fuck! Get off!" Sean grabbed ahold of the blue-furred, pig-nosed bloodsucker with both hands and casted the fire spell from both palms with a 2 second wait time between casts. The bat screeched upon being burned and tried to fly away, but Sean kept a mighty grip on it and continued pouring Mana into his fire spell until the monster was a charcoal briquette.

**Due to a certain action, you've created a new spell!**

**Flamethrower (Active) Lvl 2 [48%] Cost: 10 MP (Initial Cast)—5 MP per second**

**An alteration of the basic Fire spell, this spell allows the user to bathe their enemies in a stream of hot fire. At higher levels, the range of the spell increases though is usually outclassed by other fire spells. Mastering this spell can increase Fire affinity.**

**Deals fire damage according to this formula: Total = (SPI + Fire Affinity)**

**DMG = Total + (Total * 4%)**

**Current Level: Deals +4% Fire Damage**

**Effect: Has 2% chance to inflict Burn status**

**Enemy Slain! Level 10 Bloodsucker! +1400 Exp. Gained!**

**Level Up!**

**Sean Rent Lvl 5 → Lvl 6**

**+2 Perk Points**

**Stat Points: 5 → 10**

**Physical Endurance Lvl 3 → Lvl 4**

Sean angrily threw the body to the ground where it vanished and left him with 300 Lucre which he quickly pocketed. Breathing heavily, he put his hand on his neck and hissed in pain when he felt the two puncture holes which refused to bleed. Sean cast Cure on his neck and gazed upwards at the ceiling where he saw a whole colony watching him. They witnessed what he did to their fellow colony member, but made no move to attack him.

A black sphere was then fired into one of the hanging stalactites, scaring the colony into a panic and causing them to flee. None of the bats took damage, but the stalactite was loosened as evidenced by its wobbling.

"Shit. I missed," Biggs mumbled in disappointment.

"What the fuck were you thinking!?" Sean yelled, not registering the rumbling coming from farther into the caverns. "Do you want to bring the whole damn roof on top of us!?"

"We're all good." Biggs waved him off. "Nothing happened so I don't know what you're all worked up about."

"I don't know how the hell you became a police major, but you're clearly not suited for the position." Duelle, Mark, and Wedge turned towards the incoming noise and readied themselves for combat. Duelle, seeing that Sean was too focused on berating Biggs, tossed a nearby stone at his back. When the rock hit, Sean turned to Duelle who merely pointed in the direction the others were facing and saw the boss of the caverns rushing towards them with a mighty club.

"Shit! We're not escaping this fight people!" Sean drew his sword in his right hand whilst he kept his left ready to cast.

**Du'Inke Lvl 26**

**HP: 5000/5000**

**TP: 6750/6750**

**MP: 400/400**

**STR: 150**

**VIT: 200**

**DEX: 120**

**INT: 16**

**WIS: 5**

**LUK: 1**

**SPI: 2**

**Description: The boss of Mekiv Caverns. His preferred method of attack is striking enemies with his giant club though he does occasionally spit freezing fire. It is recommended the user be at least Level 20 before facing this boss.**

**Quest Alert!**

**Going Ape**

**As a way to get stronger, you and your group decided to take a trip to Mekiv Caverns only to attract the attention of the head honcho. Defeat Du'Inke.**

**Reward: 5000 Exp, 3000 Lucre, ?, ?, ?**

**Failure: Death, End of Domina, Destruction of Fa'Diel**

Du'Inke was a large, thirty-foot tall, primate-like creature with icy blue fur covering its whole body except for its hands, chest, stomach, and face which were a dark tan in color. The monster wore a pair of teal shoes with yellow ropes tied around them strangely enough and carried a large wooden club with the skull of a giant bird stuck on the end of it. The skull possessed a sharp beak and had two horns behind its eyeholes. The monster's eyes were blue and there was a piece of white cloth wrapped around the club just below the skull.

When the beast reached them, it glared at the group of five in utter hatred and slammed its fists onto the stone floor as a scare tactic. It then took a deep breath and roared, exposing its razor-sharp teeth that could surely grind them all down into tiny, meaty chunks.

Biggs took the chance and shot an explosive into its mouth.

The creature promptly closed its gob in confusion while Biggs just looked back at it with a shit-eating grin. A resulting blast went off in Du'Inke's mouth and his cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. He opened his trap and a thick cloud of smoke came billowing out.

Three more blasts hit him courtesy of Biggs and the resulting smoke shrouded Du'Inke, the cloud much too thick to be seen through.

"That wasn't that hard," Biggs spoke smugly. "I bet I could take ten of those things."

Sean just stayed silent and cast an Aero at the cloud to disperse it faster. He's seen plenty of anime in his life to be knowledgeable of this cliché. Whenever there was smoke, the enemy was still alive and normally unharmed.

A club then hammered into Biggs from out of the darkness which sent him soaring into one of the stalagmites. The force of their meeting snapped the dense stalagmite in two and the stronger officer ended up buried in a pile of rubble.

"Biggs!" Wedge yelled.

**-500 HP**

**Biggs: 2700/3200**

Sean used Observe on Du'Inke again and found that Biggs managed to take away a 1/5 of its HP, bringing it down to 4000. An impressive amount, but nowhere near enough to finish the fight that quickly.

Wedge charged Du'Inke with deft footwork, easily dodging the beasts' overhead swing and maneuvered around the reach of his other hand. Du'Inke tried to grab the insect, but wound up growing more infuriated the longer this went on and the more times he missed.

"Duelle, you need to get out of here." Sean was deadly earnest in his tone. "You will die if you stick around." Sean didn't want his short friend's death hovering over his head. Duelle offered no argument and left to one of the cave's smaller passages, an area that Du'Inke couldn't enter no matter how hard he tried. "Mark, you're gonna have to back me up here. And watch out because this son of a bitch can breathe fire."

Mark nodded, but looked worriedly in Biggs' direction. "What about Biggs?"

"Biggs is still alive," Sean replied as he quickly assigned his remaining stat points into VIT. "But Wedge needs our help. We can't heal Biggs with that thing stomping about." Sean gestured to the mad primate.

**VIT: 22 → 32 **

With his HP now a bit higher, Sean ran towards the beast with Mark sprinting after him.

Upon yet another miss, Du'Inke tried stomping Wedge into paste with his right foot, but the officer dodged to the left and darted forwards back to the offending appendage. He ran the edge of his blade along Du'Inke's ankle, causing the beast to pitch forward. The deep cut traveled from near the front of his foot to the back, almost a full 180 degrees.

**-330 HP**

Du'Inke roared in pain yet again and changed tactics. He opened his mouth and inhaled deeply, his stomach and cheeks filling with oxygen to the point of bursting. The fire built up and rose towards his mouth in an immolating inferno ready to be released on the world. Before he could let loose the blaze, Mark slammed his tower shield into Du'Inke's lower jaw.

The primate's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth shut with an audible clack. With nowhere else to go, the fire spilled out of the sides of his jaws through the gaps in his teeth. Du'Inke started coughing and hacking and he covered his mouth to make it stop.

**-700 HP**

With Du'Inke momentarily incapacitated, Sean used Iai Strike, an attack he aimed at Du'Inke's ankle in the exact same spot Wedge did. The cut deepened further and not letting up, Sean sent a second slash after the first. The spilt blood dyed his blue fur a deeper crimson as the injury brought Du'Inke down to one knee.

**-79 HP**

**-79 HP**

**-48 HP**

**-48 HP**

**Du'Inke: 2716/5000 HP**

With almost half of his health gone, Du'Inke tossed his club aside and started beating his chest in a furious frenzy. Du'Inke's muscles grew bigger, he became a couple feet taller, and his fur changed from icy blue to sanguine.

Sean stood thunderstruck by how powerful Du'Inke became and felt a new level of terror when he saw Du'Inke's new stats, signaling his imminent death.

**Du'Inke Lvl 26**

**HP: 2716/5000 HP**

**TP: 6750/6750 → 15750/15750**

**MP: 400/400**

**STR: 150 → 380**

**VIT: 200**

**DEX: 120 → 250**

**INT: 16**

**WIS: 5**

**LUK: 1**

**SPI: 2**

"Man, I knew the fight was too fricken easy." Sean trembled.

In an instant, a fist smacked into Wedge sending him flying. His helmet cracked from the strike and his left shoulder armor was dented. Unlike his friend, however, Wedge did a backflip in the air and landed in a crouch with his left hand on the ground to keep himself steady. The officer glared at the beast and the mad ape rushed towards him in a blind rage.

**-450 HP**

**Wedge: 2910/3360**

"Mark, you're the strongest out of all of us." It was obvious by how much damage the father did. "If I draw his attention, can you hold him?" Sean's chest rose and fell rapidly at what he was about to do and he felt a bead of sweat slide down his face.

"I'll give it everything I have," Mark replied seriously, his smile long gone.

"Good because Wedge isn't going to last much longer."

The officer put up a valiant effort, but he was soon grabbed by the legs upon trying to jump away again and was slammed into the ground like a rag doll. Upon impact, the limestone cracked and Wedge coughed up blood in agony.

**-600 HP**

**Wedge: 2310/3360**

Du'Inke raised Wedge into the air once more to turn him into bloody paste when Sean shot an Iai Strike at the monster's face, cutting into its eyeball and blinding it.

**Critical!**

**-280 HP**

**Du'Inke: 2436/5000**

Wedge fell from his grip and was caught by Mark as the beast howled, its hand covering the now destroyed eye. Blood dribbled through its fingers as it glared with utter hatred at Sean, the cause of its half-blindness.

Du'Inke was on him in an instant and Sean simultaneously raised his sword and casted Protect before a punch slammed into him. The sword did absolutely nothing to stop it.

**-294 HP**

**Sean Rent: 722/1016**

Sean crash through a stalagmite and would've been beaten to death had Mark not swung his sword into Du'Inke's rear, cutting the monster's tail off in the process.

**-500 HP**

**Du'Inke: 1936/5000**

**-50 HP**

**Sean Rent: 672/1016**

**Physical Endurance Lvl 4 → Lvl 6**

**Protect Lvl 4 → Lvl 5**

**SPI: 20 → 21**

Du'Inke spun around and lashed out its fist at Mark only to make contact with the father's shield. A loud clang rang echoes throughout the caverns alerting the other monsters to the beast's rage.

The blow did no damage to Mark or his shield and Du'Inke's other fist was caught in Mark's hand. Were Sean not recovering from an earlier attack, he would have seriously reevaluated his opinion of Mark. Even more so when the mighty man started to slowly push Du'Inke backwards, gradually building up speed, until his back hit a wall.

Mark pulled Du'Inke towards himself and pushed back, slamming the creature into the wall. This caused loose pebbles to rain down on their heads.

**-80 HP**

**Du'Inke: 1856/1936**

Du'Inke suddenly spat a gout of flames at Mark who easily jumped out of the way before jumping up to the high ceiling where he grabbed ahold of two of the stalactites. Mark's eyes widened when the roof started to shake and the icicle-shaped rock formations broke off and fell towards the group with promise of death.

Sean managed to rise to his feet right before the shower started. His pained ribs and sore back briefly bothered him before Gamer's Body kicked in.

**Jump to the left!**

**Sense Danger Lvl 1 → Lvl 4**

Mark stood over Wedge and used his shield as an umbrella to protect themselves. Sean, meanwhile, jumped, dodged, rolled, and weaved from side to side to avoid the stone lances. It was an absolute miracle that he was still alive and he sent a few mental prayers that everyone was still okay.

**+122 HP**

**Sean Rent: 844/1016**

**Prayer Lvl 2 → Lvl 3**

When the stalactites finished their descent, Sean stopped and glanced around. There were pillars now surrounding him with just enough space in between each of them for Sean to squeeze through. Seeing this made him feel like a mouse in a maze.

The caverns shook once more when Du'Inke landed and it hunched over and breathed heavily in exhaustion. Looking through the gaps, Sean noticed that the primate's fur was back to its icy blue and that it shrunk back to its original size. Even so, Sean wasn't a match for him. Though, what was odd was that Du'Inke was breathing more heavily than it should have been and Sean checked the monster's stats once more. It didn't take him long to find what happened.

**Du'Inke: 928/5000**

**Status Effect: [Poisoned]**

"How the fuck was he poisoned?" Sean whispered to himself in confusion.

"_We're good," Duelle replied with a straight face. "I was just showing Sean my paralytic and poison-tipped knives."_

Sean grinned in amazement. "Duelle, you magnificent bastard." Sean thought that was fucking awesome and would have to do something to reward him for that since the onion deserved it. "You must have the world's greatest throwing arm."

Meanwhile, a gloved hand pushed its way out of a pile of rocks revealing Major Biggs. He was a bit dinged up, but not too much worse for wear. "The heck happened?" He wondered turning his head this way and that, taking in the damaged battlefield. "What'd I miss?"

On his mini-map, Sean saw one of the green circles, which represented his allies, moving and made his way over to it to find a lost Biggs. _"Thanks for joining us, Sleeping Beauty"_ Sean spoke mentally, but instead asked, "Are you okay, Biggs?" He felt it was better not to give Biggs any grief over being knocked unconscious. He knew he would've been knocked out were he a regular person.

"Where is everybody?" Biggs asked, not seeing the others. "Is Wedge okay?"

Sean shrugged. "I don't what state the others are in aside from being alive," he said quietly. "But the monster we've been fighting is still out there. It's weakened, but it needs to be dealt with before we can leave."

"Well let's go take care of it." Biggs went to stand up when Sean put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Look, man. I know there's been some crap between us and that you're pissed about being stuck with me, but…" Sean paused to consider his next words. "Can you follow my lead here? This is my first real fight and I need you to cover me."

Biggs was flabbergasted by this since he expected Sean to have some experience under his belt.

"Yeah, it's true, but I came out here to get stronger because Duelle asked me to and because I give a shit about Domina and its people," Sean spoke passionately while still remembering to keep his voice low.

Biggs just stared back at Sean and then shook his head with a sigh. "You know what. Fine. I'll help you out, kid." He agreed, glad he could stay back and keep his hands clean while Sean took on Du'Inke.

"How many more rounds do you have in that gauntlet of yours?"

"Two," Biggs answered. "You thinking about shooting my load down its throat again?"

Sean snorted. "Dude, phrasing. But yeah, if we can do that then I think Du'Inke will be finished off."

"Not a problem," Biggs said standing up. "Just get his mouth open and I'll take care of the rest."

A short moment later, Sean checked on Du'Inke again and saw that his eyes were a bit droopy and his breathing slowed down.

**Du'Inke: 900/5000**

"You definitely deserve commendations for that dude." Duelle inflicted more damage than almost everyone else in the party.

Sean stepped out from the maze of pillars and approached the primate.

Let it never be said that Sean Rent was a clean fighter. He learned long ago from his own observations and the advice of his elders that you should always do whatever it takes to win a fight and that fighting fair was overrated. With this is mind, Sean equipped his sword and stopped just out of Du'Inke's reach.

He then whistled to catch the beast's attention and Du'Inke opened its eyes wider, growling when he noticed the puny human before him. The monster tried to stand, but his ankle was too damaged to support his weight and fell back on his behind, leaving his legs wide open.

"Hey, dude," Sean addressed in a mocking tone. His expression immediately switched to a glare before he swung his sword and sent an Iai Strike right at the family jewels. Du'Inke's eyes shot open as wide as they could and his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. His mouth opened in a silent scream, giving Biggs the perfect opportunity to shoot his explosives into Du'Inke's gob and down to the gullet.

The explosions were muted, but the blasts were audible from inside him. Du'Inke's stomach briefly inflated with each boom and blood spilled from his mouth before he collapsed onto his back. With so much damage inflicted to the beast, his body started to shut down and found himself unable to move.

**-79 HP**

**-800 HP**

Sean quickly did the math in his head and realized that Du'Inke still had 21 HP left. Before anyone else could steal his chance, Sean cut Du'Inke's foot with a simple swing of the sword and finished the beast off. He watched the monster vanish like a ghost at daybreak.

**Enemy Slain! Du'Inke Level 26! +35,000 Exp. Gained!**

**Level Up! (x4)**

**Sean Rent Lvl 6 → Lvl 10**

**+8 Perk Points**

**Stat Points: 0 → 20**

**Iai Strike Lvl 2 → Lvl 3**

**Quest Completed!**

**Going Ape**

**As a way to level up, you and your group decided to take a trip to Mekiv Caverns only to attract the attention of the head honcho. Defeat Du'Inke.**

**Reward: 5000 Exp., 3000 Lucre, Remora Summon, Goblin Summon, Thunder Spell Book**

**Failure: Death, End of Domina, Destruction of Fa'Diel**

**You've gained 3 new items!**

**Would you like to-**

Sean dismissed the notification and just sat down, too tired to be looking at anything right now.

Biggs walked up to him and said, "You could have done better, but decent job, punk."

Sean just wanted to go home and take a nice, hot bath. Maybe with some scented candles and Pink Floyd playing in the background. _"I wonder if I can introduce music from my world to Fa'Diel."_ Sean shook his head, figuring he'd think more on it later.

"We should go check on the others." Biggs said.

"Yeah," Sean agreed. "I'm fucking sick of this place."

**Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 5. I think this chapter is better than the previous version even if it's not set in Domina against the thieves.**

**There will be characters from other fandoms who will make appearances in this story like Biggs and Wedge from FF8 did here. I may not get all of these characters spot on, but I think I got fairly close considering that you only run into Biggs and Wedge like 3 times in Final Fantasy 8.**

**I'm not going to update for a little while since I need to focus on school, but I won't give up on this story.**

**Thanks to everyone who has read, faved, followed, and reviewed this story.**

**The fifth of October is actually my birthday. So, could you please leave a review letting me know what you think of this chapter and if it's better than the previous one. I'm sure there are things that I could fix or change, but I'm just going to move on.**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Mana or the Final Fantasy series.

**Update (11/26/19): There won't be a new chapter for Thanksgiving since I've been busy with school work. However, I have been writing down ideas for this story and I've got at least 20 pages worth of them now. Chapter 7 will be released some time next month after finals are done with. I intend to have Chapter 7 uploaded before Christmas. Anyways, have a good Thanksgiving and the next chapter will appear later.**

**Update (12/22/19): It looks like there won't be a new chapter for Christmas either. I apologize for this, but I was busy with college finals until a little while ago and this Chapter 7 has been giving me trouble. My current progress for Chapter 7: Page 14 with 5,681 words as of 12/22/19. I'm going to try to get Chapter 7 up by New Year's Eve. Thank you all for your patience and for reading my story. I really appreciate it.**

**Note: Anyone who read the First Version of Chapter 5 should go back and reread the chapter. The story can still be understood if you don't, but there may be a few things you'll miss otherwise. I posted a second version of Chapter 5 back on October 5 and I changed quite a few things.**

Chapter 6: First Encounter

"Are you guys all right?" Sean asked once he and Biggs finished digging out Mark and Wedge from the pile of debris. Duelle kept a watch for any monsters while the two men were stuck casting large pieces of rock aside, but there was no need since the earlier fight scared them off. The onion came over and joined them in looking down at the dirt-covered Mark and Wedge.

The item shop owner was still crouched over the injured officer, but lowered his shield to give everyone a better look at Wedge's condition. Biggs looked past him in poorly hidden at his friend and knelt down by the other officer's side to check on him.

Wedge lie on his back in a semiconscious state with the corner of his mouth stained with a dried up trail of blood. His helmet was dented in three places, nothing the Repair spell couldn't fix, and the rest of his armor was scuffed. His chest plate took the worst beating, the back caved in from when Du'Inke slammed Wedge into the floor.

Though his vision was blurry, Wedge could easily make out the shapes of his friend and the other party members and smiled in relief that they were all okay.

"A little dirty, but no worse for wear, chum." Mark replied standing up, little pebbles and pieces of rubble falling off of him. "Though I believe our friend here needs medical attention."

"Really, you think?" Biggs spoke irritably to Mark with a frown, looking at the proud father like he was stupid. "You couldn't tell by how he's not getting up." Biggs pointed down at the wounded Wedge.

"Jeez, man. You could show a little more gratitude," Duelle replied, moving to stand by Wedge's other side. "Your friend's still alive and we'll heal him up just fine." Duelle spoke calmly to placate the visibly angry Biggs. Duelle turned to Sean and asked, "Do you still have those potions on you?"

Of course, Sean did, but he didn't really feel like using the potions on Wedge. He thought it better to save them for the Domina battle when they'd likely need them more.

Rather than saying that, knowing that it would piss everyone else off, Sean instead replied, "I do, but is he really in a condition to be downing potions?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't want him to choke on them. Plus, I can just use the Cure spell on him anyway."

"You can use healing magic?" Biggs asked in quiet surprise. His mouth hung open at this discovery before returning to a frown. "What are you waiting for then?" Biggs asked angrily.

Sean gave him a look. _"Someone obviously wasn't paying attention."_ "Well maybe if you move the fuck out of the way, then I can get to him." He responded back in an annoyed tone. The younger man healed Duelle only a short while ago so he assumed Biggs had his head up his ass.

The red officer huffed and got back up, standing aside so that Sean could get to Wedge.

**Wedge: 2310/3360**

Kneeling down, Sean's hands glowed with a light green energy that bathed Wedge in light as the blue officer was healed. The process took multiple casts to finish.

**+105 HP (x3)**

**Cure Lvl 5 → Lvl 6**

**+126 HP (x6)**

**SPI 21 → 23**

With Wedge back at full health, Mark looked on in puzzlement since the lieutenant was still on the ground in pain. "How come the good officer is still hurt?"

"He's not hurt," Sean replied while Biggs helped Wedge to his feet. Wedge threw an arm around Biggs' shoulders for support and Biggs put his right arm around Wedge's back. "The Cure spell doesn't completely nullify pain. It offers some alleviation, but I recommend that he takes it easy for the rest of the day."

Since Sean had Gamer's Body, he wasn't sure to what extent the Cure spell rid the recipient of suffering. In his experience, any pain usually vanished before he could cast the spell.

Sean put his hand on his chin and pondered the matter. _"Although, Duelle didn't feel any more pain once I healed him. Then again, his injuries were nowhere near as severe as Wedge's, not even close."_

"C-can you do anything about my armor, Sean?" Wedge stuttered politely, lifting his head to properly address the young man. He could feel his damaged armor digging into his back. Wedge's voice shook Sean from his reverie and made him turn to the officer.

"Oh, yeah." Sean shook his head and cast the Repair spell.

He used it on Wedge first, the officer breathing a sigh of relief, before moving onto Biggs, Mark, and finally himself. With each cast, the magic fixed any damage done to their armor and equipment and got rid of all the dings and dents.

**Repair Lvl 1 → Lvl 3**

Aside from the dirt covering them, the party was mostly back in the same pristine condition like when they first entered the caverns.

"You guys ready to get the heck out of here?" Sean asked aloud, already knowing the answer.

Before anyone could answer, Duelle spoke up. "Hey, Sean," he started and held up a book for the 21-year-old to inspect. "Don't you want to keep this stuff?"

Sean took the book from Duelle and his eyes widened when he saw it was the Blizzard spell book. "Where'd you get this?" He inquired of the onion.

Duelle raised an "eyebrow" at him. "You told us earlier that money and other stuff would appear when we beat an enemy, remember?"

Sean shook his head. "Damn am I out of it today," he muttered. Sean wanted to smack himself for how forgetful he was being lately. He blamed it on stress. "Was there anything else?"

Duelle nodded and pointed to a pile of stuff that appeared where Du'Inke's corpse previously lied.

Among the assorted items, there was a wad of cash which amounted to 5,000 Lucre, 2,000 more than what Sean earned from completing the Going Ape quest. Sean had no intention of telling the others about his gain in profit, except for maybe Duelle.

The rest of the drops were the following: two health potions, a couple of throwing knives which the onion picked up and put back in his bandolier, a bar of chocolate with silver foil and pink paper wrapping, the Water tome, and a powerful-looking, glacier blue sword.

The blade of the sword actually appeared to be made of ice and the guard was wrapped in fur the same shade as Du'Inke's, a couple shades darker than the blade. The guard was bone white and bejeweled with an indigo-colored gem in the center of either side. The handle was wrapped with a gray material and the pommel was silver.

'Observe'

**[Rare] Frozen Fury [1H Sword] (Ice) Durability: 500/500**

**Crafted from the bones and teeth of Du'Inke, this blade is enchanted with the freezing power of the creature's internal flame. A cut from this sword can leave enemies frozen in their tracks.**

**Attack: +50**

**Effect: Deals +20 Ice-elemental damage**

**Effect: Has 30% chance to inflict [Frozen] status effect**

**Observe Lvl 6 → Lvl 7**

**[Common] Bar of Chocolate**

**Upon consumption, this item will heal the user for 75% of their Max HP.**

Sean immediately claimed the blade to little fuss from the others since his Menos Bronze 1H Sword only added +10 attack and nothing else. His first weapon was too weak for the trials ahead.

Sean saw no need to Observe the health potions since they were the exact same ones as the two he already possessed in his inventory. He quickly observed the Water tome which was self-explanatory in its function and grabbed the book. The two health potions, he offered to Biggs and Wedge since they were probably going to need it later and because Sean didn't want to come off as too selfish.

The chocolate bar went to Duelle since the onion warrior was the weakest of them and needed it the most. With how strong Mark was, Sean reasoned that Mark would need healing items less than the rest of the group. It was something the older man was fine with.

"Since there are five of us here, do you all want to do a five-way split?" Sean asked holding up the wad of money. Biggs raised his free hand and opened his mouth to argue, but Wedge slowly shook his head and whispered, "Just let it go." Biggs lowered his hand, but was still upset. He felt like Sean came out better than the rest of them from this adventure.

Duelle and Mark agreed with Sean's logic and all of the party members became 1,000 Lucre richer.

"If that's everything," Sean said, still wanting to leave.

Duelle lifted up something else and a mild look of disgust crossed Sean's face. "Is that the monster's tail?"

The onion simply nodded, not at all bothered by holding the nasty thing. "The tail didn't disappear with the rest of the body. I figured it'd be important."

'Observe'

**[Rare][Crafting Item] Du'Inke's Tail**

**This item, while not as valuable as a Du'Cate's tail, can be sold for 15,000 Lucre to the right buyer. On the other hand, it can be used to craft certain items.**

"Hm?" Sean wondered if the item could have an impact on a later quest. He's played games like Skyrim before where seemingly insignificant items turned out to be important later on. He turned and addressed the others. "Does anyone else want this thing?" Sean asked pointing at the severed tail.

"Why would we want that nasty thing for?" Biggs asked in revulsion. The Major looked like he just smelled something rotten, like a corpse that's been left to dry out in the sun for a few days. Wedge gave no input on the matter and Mark shook his head. The happily married man didn't think his beloved would appreciate having such an item in the house.

"I'm just asking," Sean replied calmly before taking the tail from Duelle and sticking it in his inventory. He looked back to the onion and asked, "Is there anything else?" Sean expected another interruption, but Duelle simply shook his head. Sean then smiled and clapped his hands. "Great. Now we can get the fuck out of here."

It took some time, what with Wedge's current state and watching out for any returning monsters, but the party eventually made it out of the caverns unbothered. The whole trip to the caverns only took an hour plus some change. Sean felt like it should've been longer, but he did have a clock in his view.

"Just how did you defeat the creature, Sean?" Mark asked, this being the first time the man actually used his name.

Sean smirked. "I cut his balls with my sword and Biggs sent explosives down his throat."

Duelle showed little reaction since he saw what they did and Biggs grinned and puffed out his chest, letting the victory go to his head. Mark frowned, but didn't reply their actions meant that everyone was okay. Wedge just continued walking. Being a police officer, Biggs and Wedge knew that fighting fair wasn't always an option and had seen things that would make many other people retch.

The group traveled to Domina where Sean disbanded the party to drop Biggs and Wedge off at Mark's place to give Wedge time to recover. Sean then formed another party named **"Fishing Trip"** and left with Mark and Duelle to his home.

On the way, Duelle asked, "Why'd you name the group that?" He couldn't help but find the name weird.

"I'm going to perform a summoning when we reach my house." Sean replied.

"Is that like Conjuration?" Duelle has witnessed wizards using magic to call upon servants in the past and never liked the look of it. "Because if so, things can turn out pretty badly. I once saw a mage get his face melted off by a lava spider," he told Sean as a precaution.

Sean shook his head. "It's nothing like that," he responded while thinking a lava spider sounded cool. "From my understanding, summons are creatures that can be called upon to fight for you, but they have their own freewill. Conjuration, on the other hand, is more like a master-slave bond."

**Summons (Part 1)**

**Summons are creatures and beings that can be called upon to assist the summoner in a multitude of ways ranging from attacking the enemy and boosting attributes to healing the party and curing status effects. Summons go by a number of names including Espers, Aeons, Guardian Forces, and Eidolons. Most of them are sentient and may require a pact or agreement to be reached before they can be truly called upon. Building a good relationship is crucial to the development of both parties and can bring hidden rewards.**

"That's only partly true," Duelle replied, going into teacher mode. "Conjuration doesn't always involve a bond in order to be successful. This is the case for simpler creatures like a rat. Creatures such as the lava spider and the Daedra need a bond to work. The reason is that they're more powerful and the bond acts as a collar to keep them under control so the conjured beings don't disobey orders and cause untold destruction. Of course, this also necessitates the conjurer being powerful themselves and possessing a vast knowledge and mastery of the arcane."

"_The Daedra are a thing here? Shit."_ Sean's beaten The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and was aware of their existence. He completed the main game, but never played the two DLCs: Dawnguard and Dragonborn. _"Just another thing to add to the list."_ He accepted the fact they existed with a resigned expression.

"I never plan to get into conjuration," Sean informed after the little lecture. It genuinely sounded like a bad idea, tethering your soul to something otherworldly. "Besides, summons are better anyways. I contact them and they can choose whether to help me or not."

"Can they attack you?" Duelle suspected the answer was "yes."

Sean nodded. "Yeah, but the one I'm calling shouldn't present too much of a threat." Thinking back, Sean remembered some of the stronger summons from throughout the Final Fantasy series. There was Knights of the Round, Bahamut, Eden, Anima, and the Magus Sisters. "I'm hoping they'll appear scarier than they are, kind of like a basking shark."

"I don't know what a 'basking shark' is," Duelle replied, looking around at the empty World Map. "Is that a creature from your old home?"

"It's from back home, yeah. But it can't be found near where I lived," Sean answered. He thought they were located in the waters near Ireland. "They're scary-looking, but mostly ignore you."

"Where did you live before now anyway?" Duelle never heard of the creature nor of the ones Sean listed off to Biggs earlier.

Sean exhaled and stared off into the distance with memories of home flooding his mind. Of playing video games while drinking ice cold soda or going out to see a movie with friends with no tall hurdles to tackle. Sean didn't know how long he was gone for due to the time difference, but from his perspective, it was only a couple of days and he missed regular life already.

"Some place so far away that you'll never reach it," Sean finally answered and let the subject drop.

When they arrived at his house, the young man reached into his inventory and pulled out a green sphere that crackled with energy. Small bolts of lightning traveled around the inside of the orb.

"Duelle," Sean addressed, catching the onion's attention. "I think it'd be best if you went inside. These things might be dangerous."

Duelle considered staying, but nodded due to his unfamiliarity with Eidolons. "I'll stand in the doorway in case you need help." The onion opened the door to Sean's house and stood next to it with a neutral expression. He kept a hand on his bandolier, prepared and ready to attack if the worst happened.

Mark anticipated a fight and readied his sword and shield.

Sean nodded at him, receiving one in return, and activated the sphere which he suspected was Materia.

Cracks formed over the globe's glass-like surface as the lightning inside sped up in intensity to the point where the green energy inside nearly became blinding. A field of blue electricity arced around the sphere and danced up Sean's hand and lower arm, giving him a feeling of pins and needles. The young man clenched his teeth and held onto the orb with strong determination until it burst with a clap of thunder.

Sean shielded his eyes with his other arm before the sphere exploded and when he uncovered them, he found himself surrounded by his new summon.

A school of 8 fish swam around him and Mark, seemingly presenting no threat to them. Duelle looked on in alarm and gripped the handle of one of his throwing knives, but stayed his hand. He kept a close eye on the fish for any sudden movements.

Each fish looked like a golden-colored piranha with unblinking, soulless black eyes and open mouths, revealing razor-sharp teeth. Even more terrifying was the fact that each of them was the size of a basketball, at least three times bigger than a typical piranha. Their undersides were white and they swam on the air with no water visible near them.

Mark tensed at their appearance and raised his sword, but Sean held up a hand to stop him. The young man didn't want to piss these things off and maintained a close watch on them. His gaze was like a hawk and his shoulders were tensed while he kept his breathing to a slow rate.

After a couple of minutes of them doing nothing, Sean lowered his hand and took on a confused expression. Mark, meanwhile, watched them move around in circles with his weapon lowered.

"Is something supposed to happen, my friend?" Mark asked quietly so he wouldn't startle the summon.

Sean shrugged. "I don't know," he replied in his regular voice. He waved his hand in front of one of the remora's faces, but it didn't do anything other than butt its head against his palm. "This is new territory for me." He rubbed the fish's scaly head and grimaced at the slimy texture.

A notification suddenly popped up as a green window.

**New Summon Gained! Pact Formed!**

**Remora [Thunder/Water] Cost: 50 MP Cooldown: 30 Minutes (Upon Defeat)**

**Link: Lvl 1 Next Level: 0/50 AP**

**Standing: 0/1000**

**HP: 4,000/4,000 (500 HP Each)**

**TP: 0/0**

**MP: 2,000/2,000 (250 MP Each)**

**STR: 30**

**VIT: 20**

**DEX: 20**

**INT: 10**

**WIS: 2**

**SPI: 20**

**LUK: 3**

**Overdrive: [El Niño]—El Niño is an ability where Remora unleashes an intense, swirling vortex of water upon the enemy, sucking them up before hitting them with a powerful geyser. DMG Formula: SPI + (SPI * 300%)**

**Summon Effect: +50 Thunder/Lightning Affinity (Passive)**

**Summon Effect: +50 Water Affinity (Passive)**

**Summon Effect: Grants the user +1 SPI every time the summon or user levels up**

**Description: Remora is a species of golden-colored, river-dwelling fish similar in appearance to the piranha. This creature is unusual in that while it is indeed aquatic in nature, it is also thunder-elemental. This summon normally travels in schools of up to 7 or 8 fish and can constrict or tear apart weaker enemies in a matter of seconds.**

**Summons (Part 2)**

**The summoner and the summoned share a symbiotic relationship. The summoner can learn new abilities and better themselves through different Aeons while the Eidolons can gain strength and new skills in turn.**

**The [Link] refers to the level of the connection between the two parties. Raising the [Link] level will increase the Esper's stats. However, the stats shown are separate from the Summon's own. The attributes first seen are from the link level. When Observed, the user will see three stat windows: one for the [Link], one for the training the Eidolon did separately from the user, and one for the two combined.**

**The [Link] level can be grown by earning AP (Ability Points). AP is earned through either training together, defeating enemies, or the use of special items.**

**Despite being able to learn new abilities from the user, the item required to do so is currently lost. A similar item acting as another means to raise an Eidolon's stats is also missing.**

**Summons (Part 3)**

**The [Standing] stat works similarly to the [Reputation System]. By improving their [Standing], the user and the Esper will be able to work together better. Both [Standing] and [Link], at higher levels, will open the pathway to new abilities and skills. Each Aeon has different limits to how far [Standing] can be improved.**

**When not summoned, the [Link] level will not rise, but [Standing] can increase based on the user's actions. The effect of said actions may differ depending on the Aeon.**

"_Info dump,"_ Sean thought idly, noticing these mechanics were a mix of The Gamer with Final Fantasies 6, 8, and 10. He entered his house to rinse off his hands from touching the Remora and the whole school followed after him, not giving Mark or Duelle a single nibble or glance.

"This summons seems stupid," Duelle remarked since the remora were just bumping into things. With the fear of them being diminished, he prodded one with the bottom of his spear and received no reaction.

Sean stuck his hands under the tap and started washing off the gunk. He was glad he wasn't able to decorate his house yet or else there would be broken glass on the floor right now. "Yeah," he replied, wishing he was rewarded a better summon. "But I'm sure it has its uses. I mean look at them." He gestured at the flying fish with a soapy hand. "A school of floating piranha is bound to scare the crap out of someone."

"Did you need me for anything else?" Mark asked with the perceived danger having passed. "I really should get back to town to see how my family is doing."

Duelle sighed in exasperation. "You saw them less than two hours ago." Sean didn't comment and kept his head down, his attention focused solely on his hands.

"But I need to let them know that I'm all right."

Sean snorted at the worry in Mark's tone, and with his head still down said, "Dude, you're a tank. I don't think your family has anything to fret about." He grabbed a hand towel and wiped off his hands. "But yeah, it's not like I can keep you here. I just needed you in case things were south." Sean waved his hand at the fish again.

"Very well, good sir." Mark made for the front door and was soon on his way back to town. "I'll see you later when we valiantly defend the town from those miscreants." The door closed once he finished his sentence.

Sean rolled his eyes. "That's the hammiest dude I've ever met."

"I've met worse," Duelle replied, internally glad that Mark wasn't as bad as certain other people. "There's this centaur named Gilbert who's a real creep around the ladies. He is much worse than Mark could ever be." There was a lull in conversation. "So what now?"

"I planned on going back to—" Sean stopped talking due to a knock at the door. "Wonder who that is," he said, tossing the hand towel onto the counter.

Upon answering the door, there was an embarrassed Mark rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm sorry to bother you," the father said. "But it seems I'm unable to leave your place."

Sean, rather than asking, prompted Mark to show him what he meant. Duelle and the school of Remora followed them to the edge of Sean's property. Mark reached out his hand and tapped the air with his knuckles. His hand knocked against an invisible barrier and produced a sound like tapping on a TV screen.

"Huh?" Sean said, stepping forward and meeting no resistance. His summon went through the barrier just fine, but Duelle was stopped. The young man then realized what was going on. "I forgot to disband the party," he said awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

After his quick apology, Sean went to check up on Li'l Cactus before leaving and received "Bananas" in response from the cactus in his young boy voice.

Making sure to lock up his house, the group traveled back to Domina and dropped off Mark.

Sean found it interesting how the Party System worked. Aside from what's already been mentioned, Sean could leave for the World Map and his party members would be teleported there upon his arrival. They also couldn't leave a location without him as long as they were still in the party. A double-edged sword that Sean would have to remember.

"As I was saying," Sean picked up from where he left off. "I'm gonna head back to Mekiv Caverns since I'm Level 10 now." He pointed at the Remora who were still present. Sean didn't know if summons had a time limit. "Plus, with these things around, I think I can handle myself alone."

"Need any help?" Duelle offered, not quite ready to be done yet. The power boost from earlier made the onion feel great afterwards and he wanted to benefit more from it.

Sean nodded. "Sure, I just need to do a few things real quick." Sean placed his Menos Bronze 1H Sword into his inventory and equipped Frozen Fury. He then pulled out and absorbed the information from his three new tomes.

**Thunder [Lightning] (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 10 MP**

**This is the most basic lightning-elemental spell and deals a small amount of damage to enemies. Upon use, a small bolt of electricity is sent slamming into the enemy from the user's hand. This spell serves as a good beginning ranged attack. Mastery of the spell can increase lightning affinity.**

**Deals lightning-based damage according to this formula: Total = (SPI + Lightning Affinity)**

**DMG = Total + (Total * 2%)**

**Current Level: Deals +2% Lightning Damage**

**Effect: Has 1% chance to inflict [Paralyzed] status effect**

**Blizzard [Ice] (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 10 MP**

**This is the most basic ice-elemental spell and deals a small amount of damage to enemies. Upon use, the target is struck by a blast of freezing cold, causing parts of their bodies to frost over. Mastery of this skill can increase ice affinity.**

**Damage Formula: Same as Above**

**Current Level: Deals +2% Ice Damage**

**Effect: Has 1% chance to inflict [Frozen] status effect**

**Water (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 10 MP**

**This is the most basic water spell and deals a small amount of damage to enemies. Upon use, rapid water surrounds and pummels the target. Mastery of this spell can increase water affinity.**

**Damage Formula: Same as Above**

**Current Level: Deals +2% Water Damage**

Sean received a headache from the information overload and rubbed his head while it faded. "I'm good to go now," he said looking down at Duelle. The onion nodded and they left Mark's front yard for Mekiv Caverns with Sean forming another party before they got there titled **"Feeding Frenzy."**

The young man also made sure to turn on **Exp. Share**, something he didn't bother with before because he and most of the others were too far apart in level for it to work. Sean really wishes he possessed the Forbidden Ring, but he wouldn't see Daena for some time still.

Something they quickly noticed was that the enemies outside of the caverns respawned. Sean smirked while Duelle just accepted it with a shrug. "You ready?" He asked. The onion didn't reply, but drew a knife for the fight. "All right. Let's see what these things can do."

Sean then pointed his finger at the poto and said, "Get 'em."

The Remora all focused on the mob of monsters and bared their teeth like serial killers before darting forward to turn the poto into mincemeat. Sean quickly dumped the rest of his stat points into STR and VIT and ran after them with Frozen Fury in his grip.

**STR: 40 → 52**

**VIT: 32 → 40**

**Stat Points: 20 → 0**

**For reaching 50 STR, you've gained a new skill!**

**Beginner Physique (Passive) Lvl Max**

**Everyone has to start somewhere and this skill is just the first step on the user's path to gaining a body men envy and women dream of. Get those muscles moving!**

**Effect: Grants +25% to STR and +25% to HP Regeneration**

STR wasn't the only stat to get him a new skill at 50 since there was one Sean received for reaching 50 in DEX earlier on.

**Ambidextrous (Passive) Lvl Max**

**This skill grants the user the ability to use their right and left hands equally no matter the activity whether wielding weaponry or drawing a picture. This skill helps to unlock ?**

Sean slashed away at the monsters, remembered not to go too deep into the caverns in case another Du'Inke showed up, while Duelle used the poto for target practice. The next four hours were spent training here before heading back to Domina and parting ways.

Sean dismissed Remora once he got back home and continued training alone. He did, however, briefly ponder the strange seeds he picked up as drops from some of the monsters they defeated. Unfortunately, he couldn't use them yet.

Elsewhere, the other four members of his party spent their time preparing for the fight ahead.

Wedge's pain eventually left him and he bought a few supplies from the item store before he and Biggs returned to Police Headquarters in another town.

Biggs stocked up on ammunition for his gauntlets and prepared a few types of his own making.

Duelle chatted with Inspector Boyd some more about how things would go down since Sean forgot to the previous day. The onion made sure to inform Boyd of some of the Chobin Hoods' racial traits.

Mark went to spend time with his daughter, not knowing this was the last time he would see her for a good long while.

The Next Day…Day of Jinn

**Duelle POV**

"Have a good day, sugar blossom!" Marked called exuberantly, bidding goodbye to Rachel as Duelle left to escort her to work. The proud father was glad to have such a fantastic family friend.

"Bye, daddy," Rachel returned quietly before they stepped out the door.

"Having second thoughts?" Duelle asked. He knew the girl still loved her father despite his eccentricities.

Rachel shook her head. "No. I need to do this. I'm just nervous since I've never left town before."

Duelle patted her knee. "You'll be okay. I was nervous when I first set out to see the world." He completely understood how she was feeling. "I remember my heart almost leapt out of my chest when I saw my first monster."

"How did you get used to it?" Rachel inquired.

"Time," Duelle replied in a neutral tone. "With time you'll find that exploring the world won't bother you as much." He waved his spear in the air with a smile. "It also helps to be able to defend yourself. That's something the teachers at the Academy will teach you."

"Are they pretty knowledgeable?" Rachel heard good things about the school, but with her father constantly hovering over her, she couldn't do too much research on it and the teachers' competence without arousing suspicion.

"They know a decent deal," Duelle responded as they walked through the Park of the Mana Angel. "But they can be kind of quirky."

Capella looked as happy as ever in spite of the incoming danger while Diddle still wore the same sorrowful smile. The monkey excitedly juggled 5 balls at a time and Diddle continued cranking the joyous accordion music that did nothing to lift the kid's mood.

Rachel scoffed. "They can't be any worse than dad."

"You'd be surprised," Duelle spoke calmly to avoid the impression of defending her father. "Many who practice magic can be pretty strange."

They soon reached the post office and went inside to buy a stamp. Standing outside, Rachel stared at the stamp in her hands in trepidation, knowing that this decision would change everything. She didn't move for two minutes nor did she blink. Once those two minutes elapsed, she took a deep breath while closing her eyes and opened them on the exhale.

"Are you ready?" Duelle looked at her like a proud uncle, happy that the girl he met years ago grew into such a nice, young woman.

"I am," she replied with steel resolve. "I just wish that Teapo was here…and that I had everything with me."

Duelle nodded in understanding. A mother-daughter relationship developed between the cockney teacup and Rachel ever since Mark had her delivered from Geo all those years back. Teapo was always around and was kind and caring to the growing girl, traits her actual mother was missing.

"Teapo sends her love and wishes you the best," Duelle replied with a smile. Someone needed to remain at Rachel's house to keep her father distracted in the off chance he had to step out. "And there will be plenty of books in Geo for you to read when you get there."

"I just wish I knew who damaged my books." Rachel felt annoyed that someone would destroy her precious tomes, but was somewhat mollified she got her money back. "I guess this is it then." She took the stamp and placed it on her head, knowing that Pelican would be there shortly.

"This isn't goodbye," Duelle smiled at her like she was going off to college. "We'll see each other again and I can always come visit."

"I suppose you're right." Rachel bent down and hugged the onion closely, something the onion gladly returned. She placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head and stood back up with her luggage in hand. "See you laterrrR!"

Pelican swooped down too fast for either of them to see and Duelle watched the bird fly off into the distance with her feet holding onto Rachel's arms.

"Oh joy! Another delivery-wivery To Geo I go!" Pelican sang while Rachel screamed in her grasp.

Duelle simply waved as the two disappeared into the great blue yonder. "You'll do well, Rachel. I know it."

Elsewhere…

**Sean POV**

Sean looked up when he heard a teenage girl scream and gazed at the sky. It didn't take him long to spot Pelican flying away with Rachel being taken along for the ride.

Sean chuckled. "That's a lot funnier when it happens to someone else." He was sitting at one of the outside tables at Amanda & Barrett's with a tankard of warm apple juice. A cooling breeze blew through his black hair and caused the leaves on the nearby trees to rustle.

He took a bite out of a slice of rich chocolate cake he ordered, having already finished off a succulent, medium well steak with a side of Caesar salad and garlic potatoes. The pub wasn't too busy that day with the impending threat, but remained open for customers like himself and the traders and merchants who are delivering and peddling their wares. Sean felt he deserved a good rest and a nice meal with all of the training he just completed.

The young man watched people go by and took another sip of his juice before pulling out a tome. _"It just sucks I had to bribe that guy though. Eh, whatever."_

Sean visited the marketplace earlier after the trade caravan arrived and came across two new tomes for the spells: Haste and Restore. The trader informed him that someone else, Sean didn't know who, purchased the two books for 500 Lucre each.

"_Can I buy those books off you?" Sean asked, especially wanting the Haste spell. He suspected the Chobin Hood tribe didn't use magic and thought he could maybe outmaneuver them._

_The trader shook his head, the man's skin tanned from working in the sun. "I can't do that. Someone already ordered these and they're supposed to arrive soon to pick them up."_

"_How much did they pay for them?" Sean asked._

"_500 Lucre a piece. Why?" Back home, a businessman would've known right away where Sean was heading._

"_What would you say if I paid you 2,000 Lucre and doubled your profit?" Sean flashed him a smile and waved the money in front of his chest to where passerby couldn't see._

_The trader looked uncertain. "I don't know. I might lose business doing such a thing."_

"_But if you do this, then the town will still be standing the next time you return," Sean responded. "I'm part of the group that's going to fix things."_

"_You are? Truly?" The trader asked with hope in his voice. Sean found the man to be conveniently gullible._

_Sean nodded. "I sure am." He didn't have any proof other than his word, but it was enough for the trader. Sean found this world to be much cleaner than home and he actually liked that a lot. "So, 2,000 Lucre for the tomes."_

_The trader smiled, glad that he was helping out the town, and handed the books over while accepting the money. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir."_

"_Don't mention it." Sean replied simply._

_The trader was then struck by a sudden thought. "Hey. What should I tell my other customer?"_

_Sean waved his hand in the air before walking off. "Just tell them someone stole or destroyed the books. With all those bandits running about, I'm sure they'll buy that."_

_After Sean was gone, another thought struck the trader. "Wait a minute." The man paused and his face twisted in confusion. "Since I don't have her books, won't I have to give her money back?" In the end, the man only made his original profit._

Unfortunately, Sean didn't meet the requirements to learn either of the spells. On the upside, he wasn't as far away in meeting them like he was with the Teleport spell.

**Requirements:**

**70 INT**

**70 WIS**

**70 SPI**

"Oh well," Sean muttered. "I'm sure I'll do fine without them." He wrote down a reminder in his new notepad not to forget about them nor the strange seeds he'd feed to a certain someone at a later point.

Through his notepad, Sean was reminded of the Plant Care 101 quest and observed the Sproutling who was walking around the center of Domina by the inn.

**Name: Sproutling**

**Race: Sproutling**

**Title: ?**

**Age: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Description: Little creatures that seem to appear out of nowhere and end up living in any town. They all share the same mind with each other.**

"_Maybe the Sproutlings work like a hive mind?" _Sean wondered. He recalled from the game how all the Sproutlings acted and talked in a similar way. _"Were the Sproutlings the only ones who were connected or was it all plants?"_ Sean rubbed his chin in thought before another a new question arose. _"But Li'l Cactus wasn't aware of this connection until a certain point which kind of contradicts this. Doesn't hive mind mean they all share the same knowledge?"_

Sean had too much on his plate to get too worked up about this and wrote down a note to revisit the subject after this mess with the tribe was sorted out.

That Night…

**Name: Sean Rent**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Artificer**

**Age: 21**

**Level: Lvl 15 Next Level: 7,853/59,300**

**Affinities: **

**Water: 60**

**Lightning/Thunder: 60**

**Wind: 35**

**HP: (Base: 1250/1250) 1662.5/1662.5 Regen: (222.2) per minute**

**TP: (Base: 3250/3250) 4697.5/4697.5 Regen: (458) per minute**

**MP: (Base: 500/500) 575/575 Regen: (17.25) per minute**

**STR: 60 + (33%) + (25%) = 94.8**

**VIT: 48 → 50 + (33%) = 66.5**

**DEX: 70 + (33%) = 93.1**

**INT: 20 + (15%) = 23**

**WIS: 15 → 20 + (15%) = 23**

**SPI: 32 → 55 + (15%) + (25%) = 77**

**LUK: 4**

**Synchro Effect: [HP Recovery Lvl 1]**

**Stat Points: 25 → 0**

**Perk Points: 30**

**Lucre: 5000 L**

**Skill List: [For a full list of the user's skills, call up the 'Skills' window]**

**Yoga Lvl 9 → Lvl 11**

**Breath Control Lvl 5 → Lvl 7**

**1H Sword Mastery Lvl 5 → Lvl 7**

**Sense Danger Lvl 4 → Lvl 6**

**Iai Strike Lvl 3 → Lvl 5**

**Fire Lvl 5 → Lvl 7**

**Flamethrower Lvl 2 → Lvl 3**

**Aero Lvl 5 → Lvl 7**

**Protect Lvl 5 → Lvl 7**

**Prayer Lvl 3 → Lvl 4**

**Physical Endurance Lvl 6 → Lvl 8**

**Cure Lvl 6 → Lvl 8**

**Repair Lvl 3 → Lvl 4**

**Thunder Lvl 1 → Lvl 5**

**Blizzard Lvl 1 → Lvl 5**

**Water Lvl 1 → Lvl 5**

**For reaching 50 VIT, you've gained a new skill!**

**Oak Body (Passive) Lvl Max**

**Through this skill, the user's body becomes tough like the mighty oak tree, lessening the damage taken from physical attacks.**

**Effect: Reduces all physical damage taken by 25%**

**For reaching 50 SPI, you've gained a new skill!**

**Novice Spellcasting (Passive) Lvl Max**

**Every journey begins with a single step and this skill marks the first steps the user has taken towards becoming a great magic wielder.**

**Effect: Increases SPI by 25%**

"I've come pretty far," Sean said, impressed at his own progress. "Just wish the 'Sense Danger' skill worked better." He rubbed his ribs from the phantom pain of being kicked there. Were he a regular person, they would definitely be broken. At least Physical Endurance went up a bit.

The Sense Danger skill picked up danger within a good distance of him, but not good enough since Sean still needed to be fast enough to avoid the attack. Plus, it didn't activate 100% of the time. It was something that needed fixing later.

Sean was currently standing outside of the St. Mana Church with his back resting against the wooden building underneath a crescent moon. The wind howled ominously through the countryside on the Night of Jinn, whispering of future troubles.

Unlike the other places in town, the St. Mana Church had a shingled roof and was painted a light blue, just a shade off from white. The double doors were a sky blue with a lit lamp on either side of them. The light emanating from them gave Sean's green eyes an ethereal glow.

Sean could hear a ruckus from inside, but ignored it and stared out at the rolling hills. He missed having street lights around and wasn't used to the darkness of the country yet. Still, he stood there and waited for Duelle and the police to finish rounding up the last of the townspeople.

The doors to the church opened and light spilled out accompanied by a short shadow and Biggs' voice.

"All right, people, calm down. Everything is going to be fine. We're the police. You can count on us." Biggs spoke confidently to quiet down the kerfuffle. Wedge stood quietly by his Major and waited for him to stop talking.

"Yeah. We could really tell by the amazing job you've been doing so far," one person responded sarcastically.

"What was that?" Biggs scanned the crowd with narrowed eyes for the person who dared badmouth them.

"We've been dealing with this for 2 weeks now and not one of you has done a damn thing to help," the man smiled mockingly before giving a salute from where he was sitting. "Keep up the great work, officer." The citizen spat out the word "officer" at the end.

Biggs angrily stomped towards the man with the townspeople giving him a wide berth.

The Major got in the man's face and yelled, "And what have you done to fix the situation, huh!" Biggs replied back angrily, getting a little spit on the man's no longer smiling face. In fact, the man shrank against the bridge in a futile attempt to get away from the officer. "I don't see you out there risking your life." The muscular major towered over the much smaller man scaring him into submission. "You should be grateful people like me risk our lives for weaklings like you."

"What the Major means is that we're doing everything we can to sort out this problem and that we appreciate your patience." Wedge spoke in a much calmer, more even tone which did little to ease the crowd after Biggs' outburst. This was something Wedge has been doing ever since he and Biggs first met.

The noisy townspeople soon start chattering again even as the doors closed and Inspector Boyd stepped out of the church. The Inspector shook his head and said, "What a mess." He then lit his pipe and took a deep inhale of the toxic tobacco.

Sean used Aero to blow the smoke away. "You should really quiet that shit, man. It'll be a real bitch trying to catch Alexandra with blackened lungs." Sean accidentally let slip out. His eyes widened at his mistake, but he remained calm.

"Don't you mean the jewel thief Sandra?" Boyd adjusted his coat to shield himself from the chilly wind.

Sean wasn't completely sure if he should tell him the whole thing or not so he only gave Boyd a piece. "Her real name is Alexandra. Someone who passed through town recently mentioned something about a Jumi Core being stolen."

"Did he say where?" Boyd was now completely alert and Sean had his undivided attention.

Sean shook his head. "No. He told me this happened a year ago. Apparently, the thief left a note saying they were going to steal a topaz or sapphire and signed it 'Alexandra.'"

Inspector Boyd started shaking in fury and clenched his fists. "So, she took on a false name to hide herself. Damn you, Sandra!" He became so angry that clouds of steam shot out of his ears like in the cartoons.

Before the Inspector could give himself a heart attack, Sean said, "I think the name's a pun."

Inspector Boyd calmed down, but was still angry. "What do you mean?"

"There's a type of gemstone called Alexandrite and she's a jewel thief who is hunting down Jumi for their precious jewel cores." Sean actually didn't catch the pun as a kid, but he did notice close similarities between two specific characters. "That being said, Alexandra is likely a pun on the word 'Alexandrite.'"

Inspector Boyd shook his fist. "I'll catch you one of these days, Sandra!"

"Hey," Sean said, catching the Inspector's attention once more. "While I have you here, how did someone like Biggs become a Major? I've only known him briefly and he doesn't seem like a good fit for the position."

"He's not good at leading the men alone." The Inspector exhaled and put out his pipe. "Major Biggs is too bossy and overconfident, but he and Wedge make an exemplary team and none of my other officers were prepared to fill the positions of Lieutenant and Major."

"Are they just filling empty spaces then?" Sean thought that sounded like a crappy system. The type that some corrupt asshole could really take advantage of.

Boyd shook his head. "No! They do good work!" He practically shouted loud enough to wake the dead. "It's just that Biggs had the strength but not the mind to handle the job. Wedge does, but he's too timid and is easily bossed around. They keep each other in check."

"Do you know where they moved from?" Sean inquired, wanting to confirm something.

"They just appeared out of nowhere one day." Boyd answered before narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "What's with the sudden interest?!"

"I'm pretty sure I've seen the two of them somewhere before," Sean answered honestly. "I just can't remember where and it's bothering me." He wanted to confirm if they were this world's version of Biggs and Wedge or if they were plucked directly from Final Fantasy 8 like he was from his home.

"To find out anything more, you're better off asking them yourself!" Boyd replied.

The two men stopped talking when they heard a women shouting and the noise grew louder with every second. Jennifer, Mark's wife, soon appeared and she was being escorted by two officers with a quiet Duelle walking a good distance behind them.

"Where did Rachel go, Duelle?!" Jennifer hollered hysterically, trying to grab the onion but being too weak to escape the officers' grasp. "Where did you send her?!"

"Move along, mam," one of the officers said evenly. "It's not safe out here. You need to go to the church."

"But my daughter's still out there!" Jennifer struggled against the officers' hold. Duelle just sighed and stood by Sean and Boyd while the cops opened the doors to the church and forced her inside. They heard a "honey bun!" from Mark at seeing his wife and a "Rachel left because of you!" from Jennifer.

"_What a bitch," Sean thought derisively._

The young man thought about asking Duelle if he was all right, but changed his mind and stayed silent.

A dejected Mark walked out of the building with his head hung low. Biggs and Wedge exited the building after him and the doors shut for the last time that night.

"Have all of the townspeople been found?" Sean asked to break the uncomfortable quiet.

"Everyone is accounted for, Sean," Wedge replied. He was the only other person who wasn't sad or upset about personal matters.

A translucent white barrier then formed around the church before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

"What was that?" Sean asked.

"That is a protective barrier," Duelle answered, pushing away any personal issues for later. "Reverend Nouvelle put it up around the church to keep everyone safe while we fight."

"Good idea," Sean replied before asking. "Are all of the other officers in the church?"

Boyd shook his head. "Some of my men will be keeping a close guard of the townspeople while you lot take care of things out here. The rest will be waiting just outside of town to make the arrests." This was also a good idea since Sean observed the other cops and found the highest of them went up to Level 10, surprising for an officer of the law. Then again, Sean has seen more than his fair share of fat policemen.

"Has the tribe been spotted yet?" Duelle asked, staying composed yet unsurprisingly more nervous than usual.

"They're about 10 minutes out," Wedge answered. "Before shutting themselves inside, a couple of our men reported a band of 20 approaching."

"They brought a wagon with them too," Boyd picked up where Wedge left off. "It's being pulled by four Chocobo, surely to haul back their ill-gotten gains."

Sean perked up at this little bit of news and fought hard to keep his excitement down. "Did you just say Chocobo?" Sean felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

"He did." Duelle adopted an inquisitive expression when he saw how thrilled Sean suddenly became. "They can be pretty mean too. You don't want to mess with one."

Biggs scoffed. "What's the big deal?" He didn't see what was so amazing about what he viewed as a mundane animal. "They're just a bunch of dumb, yellow birds."

Sean looked at Biggs like he should be committed to an asylum. "Dude, do you have any idea what Chocobo are capable of?"

"Excuse me, Duelle," Wedge interrupted. "But do you have any last minute words of advice for us?"

The onion nodded. "Members of the Chobin Hood species possess excellent hearing and a sharp sense of smell so stealth won't work on them." He coughed into his fist. "And, since they're archers, fighting out in the open is a death wish."

"Would it be right to assume we should let them into town?" Mark voice, trying hard to focus on the missing at hand and not his angry wife or missing daughter.

Sean nodded firmly. "There's really no other way to go about this." This was especially true considering there was little to no cover outside town. "The best route to take would be a surprise attack. Maybe some of us could fire down on them from the second story windows at the inn."

Biggs grinned. "You leave that to me," he said while patting his gauntlet. "I've got a special treat for them. They won't even see it coming."

"Make sure not to kill anyone," Sean spoke with a dead serious expression. "We're only trying to capture them."

"Roughing them up a bit isn't gonna hurt us any," Biggs replied, not seeing the danger in inflicting too much harm.

Duelle then spoke up and pointed out exactly why Biggs was wrong. "There will be injuries in this fight. There's no question of that. But, if we do too much damage or actually kill someone, then the response could be fatal."

"Yeah," Sean said. "Like having the whole tribe march over here and raze the town to the ground." He couldn't afford for that to happen since there was nowhere else for Sean to go. "If we capture some of them, then maybe we can work out an arrangement with the rest of the tribe."

**For thinking logically, you have gained +2 INT and +2 WIS**

**INT: 23 → 25**

**WIS: 23 → 25**

"You should stick to your Sleep Rounds, sir," Wedge said. "I'm sure they'll do an excellent job against the enemy." Biggs just huffed, annoyed at not getting his desired payback.

"Exemplary work, all of you!" Boyd complimented before looking at Sean and Duelle. "You two would make ideal officers."

"No thanks," Sean replied quickly. "I'm not one to take orders and I enjoy my freedom." Duelle nodded along with this. There was a brief pause. "Is everyone ready?"

The other members of the group nodded, sans Boyd, and Sean formed a new party called **"Domina Defense"** which everyone promptly joined.

"Make sure not to tell anyone about my abilities." Sean looked Boyd straight in the eye with a flat expression and spoke in a serious tone. "There are people out there who could cause a lot of trouble if they learned of me."

"I won't tell a soul," Boyd said firmly. "You have my word as an officer of the law."

Sean nodded. "Good," he said regarding the rest of the group. "Let's head out."

"You two watch each other's backs out there!" Boyd shouted at Biggs and Wedge while they walked away. "I don't want to lose any more of my officers." He spoke the second part more quietly.

Wedge nodded and snapped a quick salute, but Biggs' back was turned to Boyd. Biggs looked over his shoulder and gave Boyd a thumbs up and a cocky grin. "You've got nothing to worry about."

The group left the church grounds and made their way through the marketplace to the "Mana's Blessing" inn.

Sean was dressed in brand new attire, having gotten tired of wearing the same thing day in and day out since being brought to Fa'Diel. The money from completing the Going Ape quest and training in Mekiv Caverns really helped with his financial issues a lot.

He wore a simple black shirt with a pair of blue jeans, something he was thankful existed in this new world. The Menos hauberk he bought two days ago laid over his shirt and he kept on the same pair of shoes which he'd have to look into replacing eventually. Sean wanted to buy new armor, but there was nothing suitable amongst the traders' goods.

But his clothes were a trivial matter when it came to the Robbin' Hood quest, even more so when the notification appeared again with a few changes.

**Quest Chain!**

**Robbin' Hood**

**For the past two weeks, there has been a string of thefts and break-ins within Domina, making some residents fearful and driving away business. Face the perpetrators and bring them to justice.**

**Success: 300 Exp, 500 Lucre, Item Encyclopedia, Equipment Encyclopedia, ?, ?, ?, ?**

**Failure: Potential Death(s), Chance of quest failure: Bring Home the Bacon, Further Damage to Domina, Possibility of Missing Later Quests**

**Bonus: All of the Chobin Hoods survive**

**Success: ?, ?**

**Failure: ?**

Sean wasn't entirely sure why, but the question mark next to the bonus failure made him feel deathly afraid as if the objective wasn't a bonus at all. Rather, it was the main goal.

The party moved to the Center of Domina and entered the inn. Sean, Biggs, and Duelle ascended the stairs to the second floor. Biggs took one of the front windows while Sean and Duelle went to another. Wedge and Mark stayed downstairs in case the enemy tried to break in. Anyone who came through those front doors would be in for a bad time.

On his mini-map, Sean saw a gathering of red circles, 15 to be exact.

"_The other five must be guarding the wagon then."_ Sean reasoned soundly.

The young man quietly conveyed this information to Duelle. The onion simply nodded, ready with his knives, while Biggs was getting ready to aim his gauntlet from the other window.

The members of the Luon Highway Chobin Hood tribe soon came into view in the town's center and upon seeing them, Sean summoned Remora. Duelle didn't say anything. He assumed Sean had a plan.

**Chobin Hood –Demi-human—**

**STR: ?**

**WK: ?**

**A master bow-hunter species. They look cute, but they could be pretty mean.**

**Observe Lvl 7 → Lvl 8**

Each of the fifteen tribe members wore a green tunic with either an orange or red hood. They all had light brown fur with fluffy ears sticking out of holes in their hoods and long, soft-looking tails. Buckteeth was common amongst all of them and so were the whiskers on their cheeks, something they used to navigate their way through dark places. Every single one of them was barefoot, or rather bare pawed.

The way to tell them apart was how they varied in height, weight, eye color, shade of fur, and other small details such as those. The tallest of them came to Sean's waist while the shortest was just an inch or two taller than Duelle.

**Chobin Hood (x15)**

**Level: 12 to 23**

**HP: 1250/1250 to 2250/2250**

**TP: 2500/2500 to 5250/5250**

**MP: 500/500 to 1000/1000**

**STR: 30 to 70**

**VIT: 50 to 90**

**DEX: 70 to 140**

**INT: 20 to 40**

**WIS: 20 to 50**

**LUK: 10 to 30**

**SPI: 0 to 10**

The fifteen tribesman stood close together, some alert, but none of them had their bows drawn. There was an air of cockiness about them, a certainty present that no one in town nor the police presented a threat to them. This was evidenced by the few small conversations going on and the smiles some of them wore.

When they reached a certain point, Sean had Remora execute its attack just as one of the tribesmen finally noticed him up in the window.

_**El Niño!**_

A swirling vortex of turbulent water suddenly sprang from out of nowhere around the tribe and sucked them up like a vacuum. The wild aqua crashed into them violently and slammed each of them into the others. Finally, a geyser shot up from the base of the vortex and sent them flying skywards.

The water twister disappeared as the tribesmen hit the ground and they groaned in pain, some of them having lost their weapons.

**-400 HP Each (x15)**

Sean briefly paused, his breathing having picked up and his eyes widened in mild panic. Sure Du'Inke had been dangerous, but these people were sentient and Sean has only been in a single fight in his life. Well, from a certain point of view it was a fight, but to him it was taking preemptive action.

He never admitted to anyone how nervous nor fearful he was about going up against a race who were clearly much more dangerous than some moronic ape.

He also needed to beat these people yet keep them alive and the thought of killing one of them made his worry even worse. The young man wanted to end things quickly before they could get out of hand and he'd be forced to do something terrible.

Sean's moment of hesitation passed when he saw some of the Chobin Hoods starting to get up and he took advantage of their soaked states and the area of water that El Niño left behind. Mana swiftly gathered at his finger tips and he fired a bolt of lightning at the shallow pool.

_**Thunder! Super Effective!**_

The Chobin Hoods suddenly seized up and started to spasm violently from the electricity coursing through their bodies. The others watched the effect of Sean's attacks while sounds of vibrating pain escaped the tribes' mouths.

**-600 HP Each (x15)**

**For planning ahead, you have gained +10 INT and +10 WIS**

**INT: 25 → 35**

**WIS: 25 → 35**

"Dang," Duelle uttered in amazement at the strength of the attacks. He witnessed Remora in action when he trained with Sean at the caverns, but prior to this he was completely unaware of the Eidolon's Overdrive and the power behind it. He did catch how uncomfortable Sean was though and quickly realized that he didn't have much experience fighting against sentient opponents either like with the monsters the day before.

Sean's breathing started to slow down and he took a calming breath. He couldn't help but draw comparisons between now and the incident that got him suspended from school.

"_It's a good thing I filled the Overdrive bar earlier."_ Sean's body was a bit shaky and he slowly got the trembling to go down. _"In FFX, I would do that for all of the Aeons before fighting bosses and I'm sure many other gamers did the same thing."_

Biggs' mouth hung wide open in astonishment from the other window, not aware that Sean was packing that kind of power. Wedge was much the same, but kept his mouth closed and Mark recalled spells from his younger days he saw traveling wizards perform.

"You okay?" Duelle asked Sean, who swallowed and shakily nodded.

"I'm f-fine," Sean stuttered. "I just need to g-get used to fighting."

Wedge and Mark exited the building and made their way towards the downed group who were still twitching and groaning. Mark proceeded to pick up and snap each of their bows with his hands while Wedge patted each of them down for any hidden weapons. The Lieutenant found small daggers on them and a couple of whips and promptly confiscated them.

"You did a great job for your first time," Duelle complimented. "None of the rest of us had to do anything."

"Be careful saying things like that," Sean replied. "I don't believe in Murphy's Law or that fate crap that everyone and their sister feels the need to bring up, but there is such a thing as asking for it."

Duelle looked out the window and saw no other threats approaching while Biggs exited the hotel and shot a bright red flare into the sky. Shortly after, Inspector Boyd and his men caught the signal and arrived on Chocobos to arrest the tribesmen.

Funnily enough, they already had two muzzled Chobin Hoods in custody when they arrived. Both of them were seething in anger and glaring at whoever fell in their line of sight. Their anger became even more pronounced when they saw their fellow tribe members being detained and placed in handcuffs.

Duelle and Sean left the hotel to meet up with the others and Sean was thankful that everyone was still alive. Some of the tribe members' fur was signed and there was a slight burnt smell in the air which caused some of the men to wrinkle their noses, but otherwise they would all be right as rain after being healed. This was something Sean was set on doing.

"_Gotta love game mechanics," _Sean thought with great gratitude. There were so many things that could kill you in real life that amounted to nothing in a video game.

"Not so tough now are you?" Biggs asked mockingly with a shit-eating grin as he watched the Chobin Hoods being taken into custody. "You lot never stood a chance."

"You shouldn't kick someone when they're down," Duelle stated evenly. "It could come back to bite you."

Biggs waved him off. "Eh, what the heck are they gonna do? Without their bows, they're nothing but a bunch of pus-gah!"

An inch from Biggs' face, an arrow was held in Mark's steel grip. No one there saw the man move and Sean really wished he knew the man's level. If he had to guess, Sean would say that Mark was at least Level 50.

The projectile was fired by one of the three Chobin Hoods left who glowered at Biggs' arrogant demeanor. She was sitting on top of a powerful-looking Chocobo, the mighty bird primed to run away at a moment's notice. Sean looked at his mini-map and saw the wagon leaving with two red circles being moved along by four white ones. The only other symbols on the map aside from his own and his allies was the pink dot of the rider and their mount.

The father gazed sternly at the woman who returned the look right back and they held a brief staring contest. The Chobin Hood then took ahold of the Chocobo's reins and rode away into the darkness of the night.

Mark released the arrow and it hit the ground with a dull thud.

Sean was busy collecting all of the arrows, quivers, and broken bows as loot from the fight, if it could even be called one. He only looked up to see Mark catching the arrow that would've killed Biggs before resuming what he was doing. He even managed to obtain a pair of daggers and one of the whips from Wedge since the Lieutenant was such a nice guy. Sean didn't forget to grab the arrow that Mark dropped either.

Wedge went to stand by his Major and calmly said, "You shouldn't antagonize an opponent when they're down, sir. It will only lead to trouble."

Calming down after almost being killed, Biggs' smug attitude returned though to a lesser degree than before. "I probably would have been fine." Still, he turned towards Mark, who was now speaking with Inspector Boyd, and said, "Hey, Mark!" When the two turned to look at him, Biggs let out an awkward "Thanks."

Mark just smiled and replied, "Think nothing of it, my good man."

"That was really stupid, dude," Sean said, now finished collecting all of the drops. "If Mark wasn't here, you would have been toast."

Biggs became annoyed and turned to give his reply.

"AAAhhhh!" Biggs screamed like a girl and landed on his butt due to the remora that swam directly in front of his face. Wedge and the police were initially alarmed by the Eidolon's presence, but soon overcame their fear when they saw the fish weren't attacking. Still, many of them remained wary.

Some of the officers laughed at Biggs' expense while Wedge offered a hand to help his friend up.

"You sure are a tough guy," Sean said sarcastically before receiving a new notification.

**Quest Completed!**

**Robbin' Hood**

**Reward: 300 Exp, 500 Lucre, Item Encyclopedia, Equipment Encyclopedia, Perk Shop Opened, Reputation System Unlocked, New Title: Town Defender, Numb Spell Book**

**Bonus: All of the Chobin Hood survived!**

**Reward: Access to Blue Magic, Daily Quests Unlocked**

**Failure: Game Over**

Sean closed the notification and followed the others as the tribe members were lead a short ways out of town and loaded into police wagons. A second notification appeared telling Sean of his gain in reputation, but he closed it and decided to look at it later.

He was ready to go home, completely unaware of the Domino Effect he just started.

**Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 6. I meant to post this chapter a week or two ago, but I've been busy with school and other things popping up. I don't think I really have too much to say here today. I left a note above about reading the previous chapter again since I changed it.**

**Hopefully, the explanation for summons isn't confusing. Raising [Link] boosts the stats for different summons while [Standing] works like the Reputation System or Compatibility from Final Fantasy 8. In FFX, Aeons become more powerful from increasing Yuna's stats and from the number of battles you participate in. I thought that was stupid for the purposes of the story and that they shouldn't get stronger simply because Sean does.**

**I might make it to where [Link] reveals abilities that Sean can learn, but [Standing] allows him access to them. I'm not sure yet.**

**Thanks to everyone who has read, faved, followed, and reviewed this story. I would really appreciate some more reviews to get a better idea of how I'm doing.**

**There won't be another chapter up this month and I have nothing special planned for Halloween like some other writer's might. Still, I hope you all have a Happy Halloween and stay safe while trick-or-treating. Make sure to carry a fully-charged phone with you and maybe wear reflective clothing or something similar so you can be seen in the dark. You could even carry a flashlight.**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Mana or any game series.

**UltraZeta120: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and thanks for the review. The version of Biggs and Wedge that appears in the story is from Final Fantasy 8. It's been a while since I've played the game, but they are minor enemies that you run into in three different instances throughout the game. They are mainly comic relief.**

Chapter 7: Norwich

**Day 5: Dryad Day: 8:00 AM**

It wasn't until the next morning that Sean returned home. He and his party members, as well as the police, decided that the best course of action would be to remain in town till after sunrise on the off chance that there were more tribe members in hiding outside of town.

The entire night wasn't spent fruitlessly, however. Sean took out his notepad and opened a window to look through all of his quests, both current and finished.

**Earlier…**

"_Okay, so I just completed the Robbin' Hood quest," _Sean thought as he pointed at the quest's entry under 'Finished.'_ "That leaves me with five other quests all together."_

He wrote the name of each quest down with a pencil and put a dash next to each name. Sean then put his other hand on his chin and furrowed his brows in rumination whilst his pencil hovered over the quest entry for 'Bring Home the Bacon.'_ "Doing Daily Quests should fulfill the requirements for this one now that I have access to them and talking to Trent will probably complete Plant Care 101."_

He jotted down this information next to their entries before moving onto the next two._ "I can't really do much about the Restore the Tree of Mana quest right now and 'Polly want a Smacker?' isn't that important." _Sean paused on 'The Petrified Potioneer' and a look of uncertainty passed over his face._ "And then there's this one."_

He stood up from the wooden bench he was sitting on and entered the inn, where Mark was reflecting quietly in one of the first floor's rooms. The older man was sitting in a chair away from the window with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Mark would rather have been on the second floor, where fewer people could see his inner turmoil, but he wanted to be close enough to give assistance if trouble arose.

"_What should I do?" _Mark wondered worriedly while doing his best to fake a stoic visage._ "My little girl is out there all alone somewhere, but Duelle is a good friend of mine. Should I trust that he sent her somewhere safe or should I try to find her?" _Mark let out a tired sigh and rubbed his face._ "And my Jennifer is still angry. Should I try talking to her again?"_

Sean put his head up against the door to the room and listened closely for any crying. Not hearing anything, he slowly pushed it open just a crack and peeked inside. Sean almost retreated before stopping himself. He wasn't the best person to be around if someone else was upset, something he was well aware of, but the subject of the statue couldn't wait. That doesn't mean he wouldn't be tempted to bolt if the waterworks started.

"Excuse me, Mark," the father heard, causing him to open his eyes and look at his visitor. "Do you think you could tell me where you got that statue in your shop from?"

Mark blinked. "What sta—Oh! You mean the one of the Magic Academy student?" The father happily welcomed this inquiry to ease his fears. "Why, Niccola sold it to me when she came to visit Teapo one day."

"Do you know where Niccola got it from?"Sean asked calmly.

"She said she found it near Lake Kilma," Mark replied, far less jovially than normal. "Niccola told me that the statue would bring good luck to my family and my sweetheart seemed to be interested in it, so I simply had to have it."

"And have you had any good luck?"Sean asked slowly, showing he found luck to be kind of stupid. Then again, he did now have a luck , of course, didn't pick up on this like others would have.

Mark shook his head. "Well, no. But as long as my family is happy and healthy, aren't I the luckiest man in the world?" the father ended with a smile. His face then visibly deflated. "At least they were happy," Mark murmured.

Sean coughed into his fist. "I don't suppose you know where Niccola is right now?"

Mark shook his head again while gazing down at the floor. "I'm afraid not, my good man." He replied slowly. "Niccola is a travelling merchant so she moves around a good deal."

Sean kept a straight face to hide his disappointment. "Well, thanks anyways."

He didn't receive a response, but Sean's eyes widened when Mark covered his face, expecting the crying to start. He quickly backpedaled to the door and let himself out. Sean closed the door quietly and made a hasty retreat outside.

"_Holy fuck. That was awkward."_

Sean gave himself a brief breathing period before moving to the next item on his list.

"Hey, Wedge, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Certainly," the Lieutenant responded. "What did you need?"

Biggs was presently in Amanda & Barrett's helping himself to some of their stock. He would have grabbed himself a bottle of vodka and made himself a cocktail, but as a Police Major, Biggs was expected to show a certain degree of professionalism which he held himself relatively well to.

"Can you follow me over this way, please?" Sean asked.

Wedge looked perplexed, but still followed him away from the parked police wagons until they were just past the town entrance. Sean stopped and looked at Wedge with a straight face. "I apologize if this question is a little invasive, but what did you and Biggs do before you two became police officers?"

The Lieutenant blinked at the question. He didn't expect to be asked that, but answered anyway since it wasn't too personal. "Biggs and I, prior to this, were travelers much like many other people you'll find in this land." Sean nodded even though that didn't give him much. "We've fought some monsters, but we mainly stuck to helping people out with little things that Biggs insisted was a waste of time."

"Okay, how about this? Where did you move from?" Sean asked patiently. "I spoke with the Inspector earlier and Boyd told me that you two just appeared out of nowhere one day."

"We used to live in Polpota Harbor for a couple years before moving to our current residences," Wedge informed politely. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you curious to know."

"It didn't occur to me at first, but I'm positive I've seen the two of you before," Sean replied. Since he's played Final Fantasy 8, Sean was technically telling the truth.

"Perhaps you saw me before while I was on duty?" Wedge supplied, but Sean just shook his head.

"No, it wasn't recent. This was from years ago." Sean paused and his heart rate picked up since he wasn't sure how Wedge would react to these next questions. Then, slowly, he asked, "Do the words 'SeeD,' 'Balamb Garden,' 'Guardian Forces,' 'Galbadia,' or the name 'Edea' mean anything to you?"

Wedge tilted his head and he raised his right hand with the index finger pointed up. "I believe that a 'Guardian Force' is just another name for conjured creatures."

The Lieutenant's answer was wrong since the term 'Guardian Force' had no correlation to conjuration, but Sean didn't bother to correct him. "Those words don't hold any significance to you at all?" Sean asked with a hint of disappointment.

Wedge shook his head. "No. Why? Should they?"

Sean exhaled. "It may not make sense right now, but please remember those words." The younger man almost begged. "Here." He tore a sheet of paper from his notepad and handed it to the Lieutenant. "Please don't lose this."

Wedge saw that the words Sean just said were written down on the paper. "Very well." He nodded, pocketing the paper. "But I'm still not certain what connection they have to me."

"Do you know of anywhere we could meet up?" Sean asked calmly so he wouldn't spook the Lieutenant. "I'd like to explain what each of those words mean to see if you remember anything."

"We could meet at The Wandering Specter later. Perhaps around 11:00 AM," Wedge replied. "I have a couple matters to attend to, but they shouldn't take me too long."

"_The Wandering Specter. Why does that name sound familiar?"_ "That's fine." Sean nodded, eager to see if he could trigger any of Wedge's memories. He handed his notepad and pencil to Wedge. "Could you write down the directions? I've never been to Norwich before."

"Certainly," Wedge replied, taking the pencil and drawing a rudimentary map. He then handed back the notepad and writing utensil to Sean.

After the sun came out, something of interest happened when it came time for the police to leave.

"Once again, I want to thank you gentlemen for your assistance with this matter," Inspector Boyd said before puffing on his pipe.

"Think nothing of it, good sir. I was more than happy to help." Mark replied, not seeing the need to be rewarded for something any good person should have done.

Sean, meanwhile, stayed quiet. He started to hear the pulsing noise from before and he was trying to see if he could pinpoint it. Sean kept his eyes on the Inspector so no one would receive the wrong impression. It wouldn't do well for others to think he was hearing things.

Inspector Boyd reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two badges. "I know you two said you didn't want to be police officers, but I'd still like to reward you for your service."

"I don't need anything. I was mainly just a bystander here." Duelle spoke truthfully.

Sean, on the other hand, observed both of the badges and received a notification.

**[Legendary] Artifact: Officer's Badge**

**Rightfully earned by an individual's strong sense of justice and duty, this badge has been imbued with a strange power and acts as an emblem of safety against the wickedness of the world.**

**Allows the artificer entrance into the town of Norwich.**

**Observe Lvl 8 → Lvl 9**

"I'll take this one," Sean said. He took the artifact from Boyd's hand and gave it a brief examination. There didn't seem to be anything special about the golden-colored badge at first glance other than its resemblance to the Interpol badge from Sly Cooper. The badge consisted of a star placed over a shield in the shape of a downward-pointing pentagon. Still, Sean didn't question it and pocketed the badge.

Boyd raised his eyebrow while some of the other officers gave Sean strange looks at the eagerness he displayed while looking over the badge. The Inspector then brushed it off and simply put his hands back in his pockets since he's come across many strange and bizarre characters in his line of work who Sean came nowhere close to in terms of curiousness.

"Is that an artifact?" Duelle asked. So far, only the onion warrior knew of those objects.

"Artifact?" Boyd voiced his confusion. Sure a police badge was important to have on the job, but otherwise he didn't think it had a great amount of significance.

"Yep," Sean replied, slipping the badge into his pocket. He then turned to Boyd. "You've given me a greater reward than you know. Thanks."

Inspector Boyd nodded and took another puff from his pipe.

Mark's eyes widened at the word "reward," the term bringing to the forefront a reminder.

"Speaking of rewards, I almost forgot...," the proud father trailed off. He reached "somewhere," a place that Sean was sure he didn't want to know about judging by the brief look of disgust that passed over his face, and pulled out a small bag filled with 500 Lucre.

The coins clinked in the bag as Mark offered it to Sean with an outstretched hand, but there was no way he was touching that thing.

"Uh, you know what, Mark? Why don't you keep it?" Sean said. "I think the town would benefit a lot more from that money than I would."

"But my wife—," Mark started before Duelle cut him off.

"Mark, hold onto the money. Your wife isn't gonna care. Trust me." Duelle said frankly.

The father's expression became strangely subdued, but he put the money back away. "Very well," Mark replied before bowing his head to Sean. "I thank you for your generosity, Sean."

"It's not a big deal," Sean replied. It really wasn't, especially since he already received a lot of great rewards, along with the 500 Lucre, from completing the 'Robbin' Hood' quest.

**Due to your kindness, your Reputation has changed.**

**Mark: +50**

**Duelle: +50**

**Town of Domina: +100**

**Inspector Boyd: +50**

**Norwich Police Department: +100**

**Reputation System**

**The Reputation System is a game mechanic that shows how the user is regarded by numerous individuals and by various groups. Depending on the player's actions, their reputation will go up or down. However, these actions are not strictly limited to "good" or "bad" as each individual and group will not necessarily share the same views. An action one person or group likes, another may not.**

**There are 11 ranks which comprise the Reputation System, although under certain circumstances, special ranks can appear to take the place of existing ones.**

**The 11 ranks are the following:**

**Rank 1: Neutral (-499 to 499 points)**

**Rank 2: Friendly (500 to 1999 points)**

**Rank 3: Unfriendly (-500 to -1999 points)**

**Rank 4: Trusted (2000 to 3999 points)**

**Rank 5: Hated (-2000 to -3999 points)**

**Rank 6: Honored (4000 to 6999 points)**

**Rank 7: Reviled (-4000 to -6999 points)**

**Rank 8: Exalted (7000 to 8999 points)**

**Rank 9: Hostile (-7000 to -8999 points)**

**Rank 10: Sworn (9000 to 10000 points)**

**Rank 11: Targeted (-9000 to -10000 points)**

**Current Reputation:**

**Duelle: (Friendly: 700/1999)**

**Mark: (Friendly: 500/1999)**

**Biggs: (Neutral: 230/499)**

**Wedge: (Neutral: 320/499)**

**Inspector Boyd (Neutral: 300/499)**

**Town of Domina: (Friendly: 800/1999)**

**Norwich Police Department (Neutral: 400/499)**

**Luon Highway Chobin Hood Tribe (Loyal) (Neutral: -100/-499)**

**Luon Highway Chobin Hood Tribe (Traitors) (Unfriendly: -1200/-1999)**

Sean glanced over the Reputation screen, but didn't pay it too much attention since the others were still around. _"It's strange that one group likes me more than the other. Wonder what happened."_

"Hey! We're burning daylight here! Are we getting a move on or what!?" Biggs called from where he was sitting at the front of one of the paddy wagons. Wedge exhaled through his nose and looked ahead with the Chocobos' reins in his grip.

Inspector Boyd cast a glance at the wagons before saying, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to get these criminals processed. Good day."

Boyd boarded the front of one of the wagons and Sean disbanded his party before the police left for their headquarters, in Norwich presumably.

"_Wouldn't want Biggs and Wedge getting crushed against the barrier," _Sean thought, glad thathe remembered to disband the group in time._ "Despite Biggs being a bit of an ass." _He then turned to Mark and Duelle. "What are you two gonna do the rest of the day?"

"I thought I might hang around town, but eh," Duelle grimaced at what would be the end result of that decision. "The barrier that Reverend Nouvelle placed around the church should come down pretty soon and I don't want to deal with Jennifer's misplaced anger when it does."

Mark frowned. "She's just worried about Rachel as any mother would be."

Duelle shook his head. "I'm not saying that Jennifer doesn't love Rachel, but neither one of you understands her at all." His tone was firm and carried a hint of annoyance. "She's sixteen-years-old, Mark. She needs to develop into her own person which won't happen with you smothering her all the time and Jennifer's constant absence."

"But a child needs their parents," Mark argued weakly.

"Only for so long," Duelle replied. "The best thing to do right now is for you to calm your wife down, spend some time with her, and actually have some faith in your own daughter because I'm not going to talk about this with you anymore."

Mark slumped over with downcast eyes and Sean, meanwhile, remained silent, standing there awkwardly. He heard the short conversation, but stuck to watching the clouds drift by in the sunny sky.

"I think I'm gonna go now," Sean said with his thumb pointing over his right shoulder.

"Mind if I go with you?" Duelle asked.

Sean nodded. "Yeah, sure." It didn't take a genius to know that Jennifer would be on the warpath once she was released.

"Thanks. I just need to go grab my stuff." The onion replied before entering the inn. Despite being friends with Mark and his family, Duelle never stayed at their place nor did he want to.

The two left the father behind and travelled to Sean's house via the World Map.

**Present…**

Inside his house, Sean took off his hauberk and placed it in his inventory and Duelle set his few belongings by the front door. All they consisted of was a small backpack that only looked large enough to store the necessary toiletries and a few articles of clothing.

"That backpack's pretty small," Sean couldn't help but point out. "Are you really able to keep everything you need in there?" Seeing that it was his fifth day in Fa'Diel, Sean wasn't completely acclimated to magic yet and he was sorely lacking in the knowledge department.

"The bag's been enchanted to hold more things," Duelle informed, taking off his bandolier since he didn't need it for the moment. "I'm surprised you don't know that. Your house should work the same way."

"_Yeah, 'my house,' sure."_ "I'm far from being an expert at magic," Sean responded truthfully. "I really only know how to cast a few spells and summon Remora."

Duelle looked at Sean in bewilderment. "But that's basic Mana Manipulation," the onion said in a raised voice. "Sure, enchanting is much more difficult, but you shouldn't be able to cast spells without a good foundation in how to control mana. That's something first year students in Geo learn."

Sean shrugged. "I don't know what to say other than that I just can."

Duelle shook his head before asking, "Do you have anything to eat in this place?"

"I haven't had the time to stock my kitchen yet." _"An issue I should take care of soon to get the Cooking skill."_

"Is there anything to do around here?"

Sean pointed at the door to his library/study. "I have a bunch of books in there you can read."

Duelle nodded and took Sean up on his offer.

While the onion perused the small selection of writings, Sean went up to his room to go over all of his rewards from the Robbin' Hood quest along with anything else of note.

"Hello, Li'l Cactus," Sean said warmly.

With his ever-present smile, the cactus replied, "Merry men!"

Knowing that Li'l Cactus had a new entry to add to his Cactus Diaries, Sean left his bedroom and waited outside with the door closed. It wasn't long after that he heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet across the wooden floor. Sean waited in the upstairs hallway for 10 minutes before reentering the room to find Li'l Cactus back in his flowerpot and still as a statue as usual.

Sean stepped over to the leafy diary pages hanging from a nail in the support beam and read the two new entries.

**Going Ape**

**Today I heard about an angry monkey in the caverns. Why's a monkey in the caverns? There are no bananas there.**

Sean nodded. "That's a valid question."

**Robbin' Hood**

**Hooded mice tried to rob Domina, but my master stopped them with fish. This story sounds silly.**

Sean smiled at the child-like writings before he sat down on the edge of his bed and took out the Numb Spell Book.

**Numb (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 50 MP**

**This spell allows the user to numb and remove all sensation from a part of the body. Can be particularly useful when used prior to casting the Restore spell. At higher levels, this spell can affect the whole body.**

**Effect: Has 5% chance to successfully numb the targeted area.**

Sean winced from absorbing the new information and rubbed the side of his head. _"I don't think that's getting any easier."_

Next, he pulled up his list of titles which so far only consisted of his Artificer title and his new one, Town Defender.

**Title Gained!**

**New Title: Town Defender**

**When equipped, this title grants the user a 25% boost in all stats while fighting in the defense of a town, city, village, or other settlement.**

Since the Artificer title took effect whether or not Sean was using it, he unequipped it and attached the Town Defender title instead.

The Equipment and Item Encyclopedias didn't appear in his inventory when Sean completed the Robbin' Hood quest. He came to the assumption that they were most likely down in his study like they were in the Legend of Mana.

Blue Magic he didn't bother much with since Sean didn't have any spells yet in that area. He did, however, look over the entry for it.

**Blue Magic**

**Also referred to as Blu Mag, Enemy Skill, Blue Bullet, Ronso Rage, Lore, or simply Blue, Blue Magic is a skillset consisting of abilities used by enemies and monsters. These skills and spells are different from normal ones in that they are only learned from enemies and cannot be found in spell or skill books.**

**To learn these abilities, the user normally must be hit by said ability. With ?, however, this requirement can be bypassed.**

"I'm just glad I don't have to eat anyone." Sean spoke aloud in relief. In Final Fantasy 9, Quina could learn Blue Magic by eating specific opponents when they had less than 25% of their max HP left.

Finally, there was the Perk Shop which Sean felt the most excited about.

**Perk Shop**

**The Perk Shop is where the user can spend any perk points they've earned to buy perks. Perks are normally passive abilities that only in certain circumstances can be leveled up. The user should keep in mind that many perks can be obtained through other methods. The time taken or amount of difficulty may vary by how the user decides to go about acquiring them.**

**The points used in the shop can be gained by leveling and by completing certain quests or consuming special items. Having a high reputation could grant access to these quests and items.**

**Perk Points Available to Spend: 30**

Sean glanced over the options available to him and found with little surprise that most of them were out of his price range.

**Available Perks:**

**Night Vision: Ability to see in the dark (Cost: 10 Points)**

**Aqua Lung: Ability to breath underwater (Cost: 25 Points)**

**Clear Headed: Immunity against Confusion (Cost: 30 Points)**

**Antibody: Immunity against Poison (Cost: 50 Points)**

**Insomniac: Immunity against Sleep (Cost: 50 Points)**

**Auto-Potion: A potion is automatically used from the inventory when HP is below 25%. (Cost: 75 Points)**

**Bright Eyes: Immunity against Darkness/Blind (Cost: 75 Points)**

**Jelly: Immunity against Petrify and Gradual Petrify (Cost: 100 Points)**

**Locomotion: Immunity against Stop (Cost: 100 Points)**

**Body Temp: Immunity against Frozen and Heat (Cost: 150 Points)**

**Zombie Proof: Immunity against Zombie (Cost: 200 Points)**

**Loudmouth: Immunity against Silence (Cost: 500 Points)**

**Semi-Immortal: Immunity to Instant Death and Doom (Cost: 500 Points)**

**Cosmic Breath: Ability to breath in space (Cost: 500 Points)**

**Auto-Life: Automatically returns the user to life with full health if HP reaches zero. This can activate once per day. (Cost: 750 Points)**

There were other perks listed, but Sean shook his head and decided it'd be better to just hold onto his points for the time being.

He spent a bit more time in his room just lying on his bed and going over his stats and abilities before he heard a knock on the door. Duelle was on the other side with a massive tome in his hands.

"Is this the danger you were talking about before?" The onion asked while holding the book up to a particular page. "About there being 'countless deaths' if you didn't get the Jade Egg artifact?"

**Janna's End**

**The angels gave up on retrieving Janna, and chose to fight for the Jumi. With help from the Wisdoms, they built a ship to confront Janna, and joined the war. The angels defeated the leader of humans and Zuf'ben, who had become an evil Faerie, and sealed Janna in the dimensional gap. Then they remained in Fa'Diel.**

Sean shook his head once he finished the passage. "No. This is just ridiculous." _"Though that dimensional gap is definitely something to look into."_ Sean closed the book and handed it back to Duelle. "What I was talking about was more along the lines of an idiot destroying the world out of 'love.'" Sean did air quotes with his hands since he felt the love appeared kind of one-sided. "And another idiot committing genocide to protect someone."

"Both of those sound far-fetched," Duelle replied.

"How so?" Sean asked.

"I mean surely the Wisdoms would do something about it if there was really that kind of danger," the onion answered. "I just can't see these people succeeding with how many powerful people there are out there to stand against them."

Sean scoffed and responded, "Yeah, good luck getting help from the Wisdoms."

Duelle tilted his head. "You don't like the Wisdoms?"

"Not two of them," Sean replied. It was one thing to merely watch events transpire, but to allow a potential mass murderer to carry out their actions and even reward them is something Sean couldn't let go.

"There are still others like Mazus and the Geo professors who are pretty powerful in their own right," Duelle stated to move the conversation along. "I've personally met a few of them."

Sean nodded in agreement. "That's true, but only if they're made aware of these problems."

"I didn't see Geo on the World Map."

"Yeah, I don't have access to it yet. I don't even know where the artifact for Geo is."

"They probably wouldn't listen to the words of a complete stranger in the first place," Duelle stated truthfully.

"Guess I'll just have to build up my reputation then." He paused. "Do you know anything about plant care?"

"Other than that they need water and sun, no. Why?" Duelle asked in a confused tone. The question came out of nowhere.

"Just an idle thought." _"Probably have to wait until Trent shows up to complete that quest."_

Sean scratched his head. "How long do you think it'll take the police to get back to Norwich?"

"It should take them around an hour at an even pace," Duelle answered. "Are you going there?"

"Yeah. I need to talk to Wedge about something and maybe get some new armor." Sean reached into his inventory and pulled out his Menos Hauberk. "Because this thing isn't gonna cut it." He dangled the armor in his hand with a loose grip to show its lack of value.

There wasn't a need to say anything else between them, so Duelle took the World History book back downstairs where he continued reading it. Sean closed the door to his room again and flumped onto his back on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a short time before a thought struck him and he went outside with a new skill in mind.

**Wedge POV**

Upon arriving in Norwich, Wedge and the others traveled along the cobblestone streets to the police station.

The building was two stories tall and constructed from red brick. The windows were all framed with white-painted wood. Smooth, grey concrete framed the front entrance and above the front doors, the words "Norwich Police Station" could be read in thick, black letters. Over the name of the station, there was a coat of arms consisting of a green shield with a white cross on it. There were two griffons with their wings opened proudly on either side of the shield.

Wedge and Biggs led the detained Chobin Hoods off the wagons and to the holding cells. Most of them went with little complaint, but the two who were captured by the church tried to escape only to be stopped by their fellow tribesman. Neither one of them was particularly strong and both were still muzzled so it was relatively easy to push them along.

They glanced balefully at their traitorous peers, but were easily cowed when the largest of their group stared the two of them down. The Chobin Hood's eyes promised terrible consequences if they both didn't shape up.

It wasn't like the tribesmen could have done anything with no weapons and they were still injured from Sean's attack. He did try to heal them, but Sean was denied the chance. Inspector Boyd felt like none of them needed medical assistance and promised that they would be well taken care of to assuage the younger man's fears.

"Glad these twerps have been taken care of," Biggs said smugly. The Major pushed the last tribesman into the cell and slammed the barred door shut. He strutted into the hallway while Wedge offered a sincere apology to their prisoners. "I'm about to head out of here and hit the sack."

"But, sir," Wedge said, catching Biggs' attention. "We still have to write our reports."

Biggs waved him off. "Eh, what's the point? We all know what happened." The Major said, not in the least bit caring. "The thieves showed up, the punk did his little magic trick, and then we made the arrest. Case closed."

Wedge took a short breath through his nose and exhaled. "It would still be best if we completed them, sir. We'll likely have to interrogate some of them later as well." Wedge perked up some. "I'm actually curious to find out what made them change their recent behavior."

Biggs snorted. "What's to figure out? They likely got greedy and overconfident from their success elsewhere and decided Domina would be a good target."

"There's also the matter of the town guard," Wedge reminded calmly. "We need to check in with them to see if there were any more monster sightings or tremors and record the findings."

Biggs grumbled irritably with his back turned. "Right. There's still that. Thanks for remindin' me," the Major replied sarcastically. "Anything else?"

Wedge nodded. "Someone also needs to put up the new notices and bounty posters on the board in town."

"I'll head over to the marketplace later," Biggs replied. "You can talk to the town guard. I'm going to go hit the sack." The Major then walked off.

Wedge simply shook his head and left the station once his friend was gone. The Lieutenant walked to the western part of town where two of the town guard's members were located. Having lived in Norwich for a year now, Wedge had no trouble navigating the streets until he happened upon a dojo.

The building was two stories tall and was clearly German-influenced with its white, wooden exterior and brown framework. The roof was shingled with red tile. Even more interesting was the yard around the side of the building where Wedge could hear a series of loud thwacks.

In the grass, there were straw training dummies set up a short distance away from the main building. There was a storage area in the dojo itself that could be seen from the yard and there was other training equipment as well as weapons like spears and bamboo swords inside.

There was also a rock garden in the yard with some large stones bordering its perimeter. A few feet away from the garden, there was a koi pond filled with koi fish in a variety of colors such as red, white, and gold.

The loud thwacks were caused by a young woman punching one of the training dummies.

She wore a sleeveless, blue-edged, pinkish-orange Chinese fighting dress which only came down to her hips at the front while the cloth material at the back traveled down to above her knees. The 17-year-old wore a pair of very short, blue shorts to maintain the freedom to move her legs around while fighting. There was a white sash around her hips where her dress and shorts met.

She wore leather arm and leg bands and a pair of lighter brown, closed toe sandals. Her hair was a beautiful shade of red and possessed a pair of bright teal eyes over which rested a brown headband.

Emily wiped her forehead with her arm and smiled at the progress she's made. Her training dummy was still mostly intact, but there were visible signs of damage done to it. Wedge cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Oh, hi Wedge, what's up?" Emily asked, not in the least bit tired from her training. "Did you come here to get in some practice?"

Wedge shook his head. "Maybe some other time. Have you seen Juan around?"

Emily frowned. "Ugh. I have no idea where that lazy bum is." She spoke exasperatedly with a raised voice. "He was supposed to help me work on training my legs today, but he's probably off sleeping somewhere."

"Could he still be around the dojo?" Wedge inquired calmly. He thought Emily was a nice, young lady, but he felt it best to get on with his business. "I would like to know if there have been any monster sightings recently. Or, if there have been any tremors or quakes."

"I haven't felt any tremors lately," Emily replied, before taking on a victorious smile. "There were a few monsters who got close to town, some weird, one-eyed things, but they weren't that hard to take care of." She then punched her fist into her palm. "Piece of cake."

"Well then, I thank you for protecting the town." Wedge replied evenly.

Emily's smile disappeared in place of a thoughtful expression. "Juan's likely not here since he ran out of hiding spots. He's pretty good at disappearing to other places when it comes to his nap time."

"If you do see him, then could you please let Juan know that we need to speak about another matter?" Wedge asked while holding perfect posture. "It's very important."

"Instead of me telling him, why don't we both go look for him? Juan's got to be in town somewhere." Emily supplied helpfully with a grin.

"I'm not sure that's nece—" Wedge tried to say before Emily grabbed ahold of his arm with a steel grip and started pulling the reluctant Police Lieutenant along.

"Nonsense," Emily replied cheerfully. "There's not much else to do at the dojo and we'll have a better chance of finding him between the two of us."

"But, but…" Wedge futilely tried to argue, but was helpless against the young woman's strength.

**A while later…**

Emily threw her hands up in frustration. "I was so sure he would be in there," she said as the two exited the library. "That's the fifth place we've searched."

Wedge shrugged. "Perhaps it was a bit too obvious of a hiding place." The Lieutenant let his gaze wander as he tried to think of more locations where Juan could be. "Leona might have seen him."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to go to the tavern?"

Wedge nodded. "I'm certain everything will be fine." A small part of him was doubtful though.

The two ventured onwards to the tavern which was a 10-minute walk. The building was two-story tall with the first floor acting as the tavern while the second was more of a residence.

The bottom floor's exterior was built using dark brown wood. There were two large glass windows allowing light inside and above them, the name of the establishment, "The Wandering Specter," was spelled out in golden letters. The second floor was simply built using red brick with white stone running along its base above the dark wood and between the second floor windows which were framed by white-painted wood.

Since it was still morning, the tavern wasn't too busy when Wedge and Emily entered.

The inside was pretty typical. There were tables arranged around the place with a few patrons enjoying breakfast. The Lieutenant's stomach rumbled hungrily at the smell of cooked bacon and sausages since he hadn't eaten anything all night while he was on duty.

Standing at the bar, the owner, Leona, just finished serving a glass of juice to a customer when she spotted Wedge and Emily approaching.

She was a woman of at least partial Asian descent with black hair styled to loop to the right side of her face. On the left side of her head, there was a large, dark amber-colored flower placed in her hair. Leona wore a red Qipao dress which opened at the corner near her left thigh to show off her legs. A light blue cloth hung loosely from her shoulders which traveled down past her waist, leading the eye down to her black heels.

Leona's seductive blue eyes were looking right at Wedge and the makeup and red lipstick she wore only served to enhance the effect she had on him.

"Hello, Wedge," Leona said with a flirtatious smile. "How have you been?"

"Fine," the Lieutenant answered a tad too quickly. "Have you been doing well?"

"Oh, I've been just fine. Business has been a little slow this morning." Leona replied. "What brings you to my tavern? Is this just a business call or did you come to see me?"

Wedge coughed into his fist. "Has Juan come into the tavern anytime today? We've been trying to find him."

Leona feigned disappointment. "That's a shame. I thought you'd enjoy a nice home-cooked meal." Wedge blushed, but maintained his composure. "He only popped in for a moment. He wasn't here any longer than a few minutes."

"Did he say where he was going?" Emily asked, not wanting to listen to Leona's teasing.

Leona shook her head. "He didn't say, but have you checked Kathy's ranch? That would make a good napping spot since it's farther away from the rest of town."

Emily nodded. "Great idea." The young woman then grabbed ahold of Wedge's arm again. "C'mon, lover boy."

"Wait." Wedge put his foot down and said to Leona, "There's a young man by the name of Sean who was instrumental in defending Domina. He has black hair and green eyes." Wedge described. "Could you let him know that I can meet him later in the market? There was something we needed to talk about."

Leona nodded. "It's no trouble at all."

Emily pulled Wedge away from the bar to the exit. "We need to get moving before Juan takes off again," she said. "Who knows how long he's going to be there."

Leona waved bye to Wedge and went back to tending the bar.

**Sean POV**

Two hours after the police returned to Norwich, Sean and Duelle stood on the World Map with Sean holding the AF "Officer's Badge" in his hand. Sean placed the artifact on the glowing white spot just south of his house.

The artifact let off a golden glow upon contact before becoming transparent and disappearing. A spinning red and blue light took its place like those found on the top of squad cars. The bright lights lit up the darkened buildings of the town and revealed that Norwich was a good deal bigger than Domina. Finally, the lights themselves went away with the town now visible and amongst the buildings, the police headquarters could be seen.

Sean felt like he could run a marathon with the surge of mana that he received from the artifact.

The young man's body shook from the jolt of energy and he coughed after recomposing himself. "Man," Sean simply said with a smile on his face. "That's the stuff."

**Cartographic Ambition Lvl 3 → Lvl 4**

Norwich was reminiscent of an English-style town.

Unlike Domina, where people walked on dirt paths, all of the streets were paved with cobblestone. The buildings were constructed using both brick and wood rather than just the latter material and all of the rooftops were properly tiled or shingled. Some of the buildings were painted white over the brick while others were red and yet others went unpainted and remained their brownish hue.

There were also German-style buildings interspersed amongst them like the dojo where Emily was training.

Lamp posts dotted the sidewalks on either side of the roads and some of the store fronts had windows where passerby could look through to see what kinds of wares were being sold. Directly ahead of the pair, there was a tall clock tower which just turned to 11:00 AM. The bell inside of the tower bonged eleven times before falling silent.

There was even a sign at the town's entrance which read, "Welcome to Norwich."

Sean had never been to England back home, or even out of the country for that matter, so being here brought a certain sense of satisfaction. In this new world, Sean could travel to various places and enjoy himself, an opportunity that was denied to him before with his work and other responsibilities.

Perhaps even more fascinating was the staggering amount of diversity in the town's population.

The Legend of Mana had a multitude of unique characters, a reason why Sean enjoyed the game so much, but there were races here that never appeared in the PlayStation 1 title.

There were not only other humans besides himself strolling about, but also Moogles, Lupins, Bangaa, Argonians, and Seeq wandering about. Sean even saw some Kobolds walking the streets and a few anthropomorphic characters of the same or similar species to Niccola.

**Race: Moogles**

**Description: These mysterious beings tend to flock around humans and are characterized by their distinctive cry of 'Kupo!' along with their fluffy appearances, the wings on their backs, and the pom-poms emerging from their heads.**

**Normally only a few feet tall, Moogles are very intelligent and industrious and are commonly found to have a keen interest in the field of engineering. They are capable of flight, for those of them who properly train their wings and they are very sensitive about their pom-poms being touched.**

**Observe Lvl 9 → Lvl 10**

**Lvl 10: The user can now see what perks the target has.**

**Race: Lupins**

**Description: A race of wolf-like beings known to produce great warriors. Many of them also specialize in the study of medicine and have made great contributions to the field of health.**

**They are a relatively peaceful group of people and some are said to be able to commune with nature.**

**Race: Bangaa**

**Description: The bangaa are a lizard-like race who are characterized by long faces, scaly skin, and tough limbs. Be careful referring to them as 'lizards' since many bangaa see this word as a terrible racial slur.**

**They have two long ears dangling from each side of their heads and have an exceptionally sharp sense of smell and hearing. Bangaa are also physically powerful and of tall stature though their vocal structure makes it difficult for them to perform certain types of magic.**

**Race: Argonians**

**Description: The Argonians are a reptilian species who are capable of breathing underwater and can often be found inhabiting watery areas such as marshes and swamps. They also have a rich culture and are known to create some of the best alcohols and brews, but they are often misunderstood. This is the result of them being painted with the same brush as the Bangaa, many of whom are pirates and thieves.**

**Observe Lvl 10 → Lvl 11**

**Race: Seeq**

**Description: The seeq are a pig-like race who come in a variety of colors and sizes. Seeq also possess long ears with one on each side of their head. Many of them sport tattoos on different parts of their bodies. The seeq have often been discriminated against due to their appearance, perceived lack of intelligence, and speech patterns and have been treated as lower-class citizens as a result.**

Sean shook his head. _"That was a lot of information, but at least my Observe skill is going up."_ He then turned to the onion. "Duelle," Sean said. "Do you know where the market…is?" He finished awkwardly since Duelle was nowhere in sight. The onion warrior slipped away to see someone while Sean was busy taking in the environment.

Sean sighed. "Lovely." He then looked up at his mini-map and saw that it was blank with the words "Map Unavailable" on it in white letters. "Even better." Sean reached into his pocket and pulled out the crudely drawn directions that Wedge gave him. "Well, at least I have this." _"Hopefully I don't have to ask for directions."_

The map was poorly drawn. It was merely a series of arrows pointing down nameless streets with an asterisk to mark where the tavern was.

Sean's breathing became slightly panicked, but he managed to keep his cool as he made his way up the street, carefully weaving around and trying not to bump into passerby. The young man wasn't used to crowds and he didn't do well in environments with too much stimuli. Sean wasn't sure if it was due to his lack of social interactions or something else, but he never felt comfortable around large groups of people.

Sean arrived at a T-fork up the road from the town entrance and he took a right and then a left.

With his focus on the sheet of paper, Sean almost missed the commotion headed his way.

An orange and white Shiba Inu ran through Sean's legs with a chain of sausage links in his mouth. The dog had a green, cloud-patterned scarf wrapped around his neck to form a bag behind his neck.

"_Koroku?"_ Sean wondered. The dog ran away too quickly for him to observe it.

The Shiba Inu was being chased by a big, angry man with a beer belly and a face in desperate need of a shave.

"You damn mutt, get back here!" The man angrily shouted. He was presumably the guy from whom the dog took the sausages. Personally, Sean thought the man was an idiot since the dog shouldn't have been able to steal the food had the man used proper storage procedures and kept a watchful eye.

Sean watched them disappear before shrugging and continuing onto The Wandering Specter.

When he stepped inside, Sean immediately froze when he saw who was standing at the counter.

The man was decked out completely in black ninja attire with his hood up and mask on. This hid all of his facial features except for his piercing red eyes and the bridge of his nose. There was a blue, metal plate above his eyes overlaid with gold in a plant-like pattern. A scarf-like piece of black cloth hung limply from the back of his hood. A small dagger with a blue sheath was attached to the gold belt (?) around his hips and he wore a pair of blue and golden-colored shoes.

Next to him, there was a Doberman Pinscher who waited patiently for his master to finish his drink so they could depart.

**Name: Shadow**

**Race: Human**

**Title: ?**

**Age: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Description: A mysterious man for hire with a hidden past. Some say he'd slit his mama's throat for a nickel.**

**Name: Interceptor**

**Race: Dog (Doberman Pinscher)**

**Title: ?**

**Age: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Description: A well-trained dog who loyally follows his master, Shadow, everywhere.**

Sean shook his head and approached the bar. _"Just stay calm. He has no reason to attack you and no one here knows who you are."_ Even though Sean was wary, there was also a small measure of annoyance at all these familiar faces and information he now needed to keep up with.

The proprietress noticed Sean and welcomed him with a smile. "Hello. You must be Sean."

**Name: Leona**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Bar Owner/Bartender**

**Age: 32**

**Level: Lvl 7**

**Description: A flirtatious woman who loves children and enjoys conversing with her patrons.**

"Yes, I am, but I don't think we've met before," Sean replied. _"At least in person like this. I'm pretty sure you're from a game as well."_

Leona shook her head. "Oh, no. We've never met, but Wedge was in here earlier and he mentioned you."

"Only good things I hope," Sean replied in an even tone. If other people were spreading the word about him, then it would save Sean half the trouble of building up his reputation. Not to mention the faster rewards that'll come his way from his rise in street cred.

"He just mentioned how you helped Domina and that you were coming here to meet him," Leona responded conversationally. "Now, what do you want?"

Sean kept the slight frown off his face at her wording. Part of him felt the way she asked was rude, but her calm facial expression didn't indicate any meanness on her part.

"Do you know where Wedge went?" Sean asked. "We were supposed to meet up here."

"Wedge is busy looking for Juan," Leona answered while wiping a glass clean. "Juan is good at hiding so Wedge won't be able to see you for a while."

Sean sighed. "Do you have a map of the town lying around?" He asked. "This is my first time in Norwich and all Wedge gave me were directions to this place. With him being busy, I might as well get some shopping done." Sean replied.

"I don't have one in the bar," Leona replied while preparing other customers' drinks. She took Shadow's empty glass and served him a full one. Sean was tempted to watch Shadow drink to get a better look at his face, but decided against it. "But I am sending Gengen out soon to check on an alcohol shipment. You'll likely find one if you go with him."

"Gengen?" Sean murmured, rolling the name around in his head. It was like eating something with an unusual taste. He wasn't sure if this was good or bad.

From the backroom, a Kobold emerged.

**Name: Gengen**

**Race: Kobold (Dog-Type)**

**Title: "Captain"**

**Age: 17**

**Level: Lvl 12 Next Level: 12,245/29,000**

**HP: 700/700**

**TP: 1875/1875**

**MP: 175/175**

**STR: 33**

**VIT: 28**

**DEX: 42**

**INT: 7**

**WIS: 8**

**SPI: 7**

**LUK: 5**

**Synchro Effect: [Might of the Kobolds Lvl 1]**

**Effect: When fighting in a group, Gengen's stats increase by 5% for each person. His stats increase by 10% for each Kobold in that group including himself.**

**Stat Points: 60**

**Perk Points: 24**

**Description: He is a proud Kobold who dreams of one day becoming a great warrior and a police chief.**

If Sean took a guess, he'd say that Gengen likely had some Collie in him. The Kobold's fur was a light brown around his muzzle while the rest of his head was a reddish-brown. His hair was the same color as his muzzle and his eyes were forest green. Gengen's tail was reddish-brown until the tip which was light brown.

Gengen wore a green military uniform with two front chest pockets and a red patch was sewn into his uniform near his left shoulder. The patch showed that he was a member of the Norwich Town Guard. The uniform was vaguely reminiscent of that of a scoutmaster's. There was a piece of red cloth tied in a loose knot at the front of his uniform collar.

The Kobold also wore a pair of red gloves and a black belt with a golden buckle. A short sword was attached to the belt on his left side and the blade rested in a black scabbard. Besides the uniform, Gengen wore a pair of brown shorts and a pair of red, black, and white shoes with orange socks.

"What Leona want?" Gengen asked, his tail wagging behind him. "You want Gengen to go now?"

"Gengen, would you mind having this man go along with you?" Leona asked kindly. "He's new here and could use someone to show him around."

The kobold turned away and huffed. "Gengen brave warrior. Gengen not tour guide."

"Don't be like that," Leona replied softly with a smile. "A fine Kobold warrior like you should honor a lady's request."

"Aaah…" Gengen uttered resignedly with his head bowed. "You are right, my lady." He then turned to Sean with renewed vigor. "Let's go now, stranger! Follow Gengen."

The kobold stepped out from behind the bar and left the tavern with Sean following after him.

A short ways up the street, Sean decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, what do you do around here?" Sean asked. "Do you just work in the bar?"

Gengen shook his head. "Gengen is a proud member of Town Guard. Me protect town and fight many monsters."

Sean nodded. "That's pretty cool." _"Though you constantly speaking in the third person is gonna get annoying."_ "Are we heading towards the market?"

"Yes, but market less market and more of a shopping area." Gengen replied.

"Then why call it a market?" Sean couldn't help but ask.

The Kobold shrugged. "There be some stands there, but there are also many stores."

"_I'm just glad you're not as bad as Jar-Jar."_ Sean wanted to shudder, but controlled himself. It was then that he ran into a sudden thought, _"Should I ask him?"_

"Hey, Gengen," Sean started. "Have you ever met a Viktor, Flik, or Riou?" Sean silently hoped he'd say 'yes.'

Gengen shook his head. "Gengen never meet those people. Who are they?"

"No one in particular," Sean responded in disappointment. _"Those three would've been a great help. I really need to start gathering allies since things are gonna pick up pretty soon."_

**Quest Alert!**

**Searching for Friends**

**With restoring the Tree of Mana, fighting monsters, and facing various other threats on your plate, you're going to be quite busy. Find people to help you so you won't be overwhelmed. There's no way you can do this alone.**

**Success: Reward dependent on number of allies gained**

**Failure: Potential Game Over, Potential Destruction of Fa'Diel**

"_Preaching to the choir on that one,"_ Sean thought wryly.

Gengen suddenly tilted his head up and started sniffing the air. The Kobold's muzzle scrunched up before he let out a loud sneeze.

"Something wrong?" Sean asked.

"Ugh," Gengen said while wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Gengen smells cheap perfume. Reeks too strong of roses."

The marketplace was just ahead of them which was evidenced by all the stands and storefronts scattered about, not to mention the sight of money being exchanged between hands. Sean looked amongst the crowd, but no one stood out to him. He did get a faint whiff of the rose-scented perfume though.

Sean followed Gengen through the busy area until they arrived at a liquor store run by a male Argonian.

Before entering, Sean said, "Thanks for leading me over here, Gengen. I think I'm gonna go look for a town map." The alcohol shipment wasn't his business so why walk inside.

Gengen nodded. "Me thinks you can find one over there." The Kobold pointed at a store across the street from them.

The building clearly stood out amongst the rest and Sean was a little surprised he missed it.

There was an old movie theater sign bolted to the building above the entrance. It read, "Kupo" on it and seemed capable of lighting up. It became very obvious that a moogle ran the place.

"_What level of technology does this world have anyway?"_ Sean's house came equipped with a washing machine and dryer and he could've sworn he heard Niccolo, in the video game, use the word "tank" somewhere.

The store itself was on a street corner and shaped to match. The front of the building where the entrance was located was round while the left and right sides traveled until they met their neighboring places. There was a window on each side of the entrance and when Sean got closer, he could see how unique the shop truly was with various trinkets and collectables on display.

When he entered the store, the moogle sound effect from the Final Fantasy games traveled throughout the place. Sean smiled at the dose of nostalgia and started exploring the store.

Despite its cluttered appearance, the inside was very clean.

"_It must have been done recently."_ All of the displays and countertops were polished and had a nice sheen, the floors were swept and the windows were clean, and everything was positioned to where Sean didn't have to squeeze his way through the store's goods. He even smelt a pleasant lemony scent.

Sean didn't see anyone else around and shrugged. He wasn't able to spot any maps either. Still, while he was there, Sean approached a wooden barrel that was probably used to carry booze once upon a time and started digging through it.

Sean found an old doll, a small knife that was stuck in its sheath, and…a dog's chew toy? He picked up the red, squeaky toy before shaking his head and placing it to the side. "No idea why that's in here," Sean muttered.

Not finding anything of worth, Sean moved onto the next barrel. The findings from the first one confirmed that the store was a junk shop. _"Which is probably why there're no other customers in here."_

The second barrel didn't yield anything either. Sean glanced up and didn't see anyone showing up yet. Feeling slightly irritated, he moved onto the third barrel. At first, Sean figured he wouldn't find anything cool in the third barrel either. However, when he dug down to the bottom, with his arm up to his shoulder stuck inside, he felt something round.

"Hmm?" Sean hummed and wrenched his arm out of the barrel with the object in hand.

The item was a red orb that was warm to the touch. A roaring fire burned inside the sphere and Sean could actually hear crackling.

**[Rare][Summon Sphere] Bomb**

**Using this item gives the user access to the Bomb summon. It is one of the weaker fire-elemental summons.**

**Observe Lvl 11 → Lvl 12**

Sean stared at the sphere with a wide grin on his face. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found so rare an item in a junk shop.

**For finding a rare item, you have gained +1 LUK**

**LUK: 4 → 5**

There was even a price tag on the orb, marking the item worth 50 Lucre. _"Holy shit! That's nothing."_

While Sean was busy marveling over the orb, a female Moogle with indigo eyes appeared whose head came up to his hips. She had light pink fur and the characteristic red pom-pom emerging from her head. On her back, there were two bat-like wings colored pink on the inside.

From her cheeks, there sprang a few white whiskers and she wore a green, sleeveless top along with a pair of blue jeans that were embroidered with floral designs. On her feet, there was a pair of leather sandals.

"Oh, hello, kupo!" She said in surprise. Many people simply glanced at her store before moving on with more "important" things. "How can I help you?"

"Do you have a map of the town available for sale?" Sean asked. "This is my first visit to Norwich and I don't know my way around."

"Sure, just let me grab that for you, kupo!" She replied happily. The moogle flew through the air and landed behind the counter. Sean did a quick Observe of her before she started rummaging through the drawers.

**Name: Soiree**

**Race: Moogle**

**Title: Store Owner**

**Age: 23**

**Level: Lvl 31 Next Level: 25,383/377,000**

**HP: 1375/1375**

**TP: 4750/4750**

**MP: 1250/1250**

**STR: 82**

**VIT: 55**

**DEX: 108**

**INT: 50**

**WIS: 45**

**SPI: 39**

**LUK: 11**

**Synchro Effect: [Healing Plus Lvl 2]**

**Effect: Increases the effectiveness of all healing magic by 60% when within 40 ft. of a party member.**

**Stat Points: 155**

**Perk Points: 62**

**Description: The owner of the Kupo junk shop. She wasn't the one to pick the name, but still loves her store. She just wishes she would get more customers, something the store is sorely lacking.**

"_Damn. I wasn't expecting her to be that strong."_

"Here you go, kupo!" Soiree said, flying up to her stool. She placed the map on the counter. "That'll be 30 Lucre."

"I'd also like to ask about this," Sean said, holding the summon sphere up. "Do you have any other objects like this lying around?" He kept a straight face when he asked, making sure to keep his eagerness in check.

Soiree adopted an adorable thinking expression, trying to recall any similar items in stocks. "No, I'm afraid not, kupo!" She answered. "Will that be all today?"

"Yes, I think I'm—"_"…you shouldn't be able to cast spells without at a good foundation in how to control mana. That's something first year students in Geo learn."_ "On second thought," Sean said in response to the memory. "Do you have any spell books for sale? I'd like to find one on Mana Manipulation."

Soiree suddenly looked uneasy. "Is that the only book you're looking for?"

"I'd like to go through the others if you have any more." Sean replied. "Why?"

Soiree sighed. "There have been a few incidents with our spell books in the past where a customer got hurt," she responded. "Now I keep them upstairs where only I can grab them, kupo!"

"How bad are we talking?" Sean asked. With spells like Ultima and Meteor out there, Sean had a pretty good idea of just how much damage and destruction could be caused with magic.

Soiree flapped over to a spiral staircase that didn't exist before and she flew up it with Sean ascending step-by-step behind her.

"One customer purchased the Spring tome, kupo!" Soiree replied, wincing at the memory. "The spell is supposed to make any surface it's cast on springy and bouncy. The man used it on his shoes and broke his arm when he landed on it after messing up a jump, kupo!"

Sean shook his head. "That just sounds like the guy didn't know what the hell he was doing." _"Which is something I don't have to worry about thanks to The Gamer."_ He gave a friendly smile. "I wouldn't beat myself up over it."

Soiree returned the smile. "Thanks, kupo!"

At the top of the stairs, there were shelves and displays completely filled with spell books. Sean's mouth hung open in amazement at the vision of pure beauty before him and he was only snapped out of it when he heard giggling. Sean closed his mouth feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry, kupo!" She apologized. "I've just never seen anyone react that way before."

"I'm pretty new to magic," Sean replied while grabbing the Mana Manipulation book. Or at least he tried to. His hand passed right through the tome as if there was nothing there.

"Here," Soiree said, handing the book to him. "I did say only I could grab them, kupo!"

"I didn't think you meant the books were intangible," Sean responded, hoping that she wouldn't keep certain tomes off limits to him.

**Skill Book Obtained!**

**[Common] Mana Manipulation**

**Would you like to learn this spell?**

"_Better wait till I actually buy it lest she thinks I'm trying to rob the place."_

Sean walked around the alphabetically arranged room and skimmed through the shelves starting with the letter "A." Most of the spells he found weren't any he's ever heard of and some were rather strange. A few good examples were the Wax, Garb, and Stitch spells. Not all of them were new to him. Sean also found the spell books for Sleep and Slow. Of particular interest was the Rejuvenate spell which restores TP.

**Observe Lvl 12 → Lvl 13**

**Lvl 13: The user can now see all of the target's titles.**

"_Man, I really hit the treasure trove here."_ Sean thought in excitement. While at first using magic to protect himself, Sean actually found it pretty cool to be able to shoot lightning from his hands and heal people. It gave him a sense of power and importance that he never really felt before. _"But how much will these all cost?"_ None of the books were priced. Sean guessed it was due to past accidents and keeping the store from legal liability.

"_Although come to think of it, the Spring spell would probably be useful with my new skill."_ The first time Sean ever ran into the ability was in Final Fantasy 4 where it was a vital part of Kain Highwind's move arsenal.

**Jump (Active/Passive) Lvl 3 [33%] Cost: 0 TP**

**This skill allows the user to take the basic action of jumping to new heights. At higher levels, the player can propel themselves to altitudes never before thought possible.**

**Effect: The gamer can jump 5 feet into the air.**

Sean decided to stop perusing Soiree's selection since there were well over 100 books on display and turned to the moogle to ask, "Can I buy the Spring spell book from you?"

Soiree gave him a look. "You shouldn't get ahead of yourself, kupo! It takes a lot of experience and knowledge of magic to perform it correctly."

"Is it enough that I can do this?" Sean held his right hand palm up and summoned a floating sphere of clear blue water. Soiree poked it with her little finger to find that it was indeed real.

She rubbed off the moisture on her pants and looked at Sean in confusion. "How are you able to do this? Are you buying the Mana Manipulation book for someone else?"

Sean shook his head. "No, it's for me," he replied, sending the water away. "A friend of mine had the same reaction as you. I can't explain how I'm doing this."

Soiree pondered recent events before replying, "Tell you what. I'll sell the Spring tome and other books to you, but only if you can demonstrate a certain level of expertise in previous spells, kupo!"

Sean wanted to sulk like a child, but instead nodded his head. "That's fair." Most of his abilities were under Level 10. "But I can still buy the Mana Manipulation book, right?"

"Of course, kupo!" She ushered Sean downstairs and followed him to the front counter. "That book is used by first year students in Geo."

Sean placed the book on the counter next to the map and the Bomb summon sphere. Soiree rang him up on the cash register with the total coming to 200 Lucre. Sean handed her the correct amount and she quickly bagged his purchases.

**Lucre: 5000 → 4800 L**

"If you get anymore items like this in the future," Sean said, holding up the red sphere. "Can you please hold onto them for me?"

"I'm not even sure what that really is," Soiree responded honestly. "Muto just dug that up outside one day when he was helping out at Kathy's ranch, kupo!"

Sean mulled it over. _"She seems nice enough."_ "This is a summon sphere." He answered honestly, seeing no trouble in telling her. "By using this, I'm able to summon a creature or being to help me with various activities. This is not conjuration." Sean stressed the last part with a raised voice when he saw the question forming on her lips. Personally, it sounded much more dangerous to him than summoning. _"Like a rabid dog on a leash."_

"Those sound incredibly dangerous, kupo!" Soiree stated with concern. "Should you really be messing with them?"

Sean shrugged. "Well, I figure that they're better in my hands than someone else's and I am taking proper precautions." He informed, remembering Mark's presence when he summoned Remora. "And, I already have one summon, so, yeah."

"Can you show me the summon?" Soiree asked. "I'd like to hold onto those items for you, kupo! But other people may come in looking for them and I need to support my store."

"_You have a point."_ In the time Sean's been in there, no other customer showed up.

"Okay, how about this?" Sean started. "I will gladly show you Remora to show that I'm not full of it and I'll pay you to keep the spheres secured." He could already picture the carnage that would result from Irwin or Drakonis getting their hands on Neo Bahamut. "Along with any other rare or unusual items you think might pique my interest."

Soiree wanted to accept the offer, but felt things were a little suspicious. Sean noticed her hesitation and, in response, he reached into his inventory, something the moogle wasn't too surprised by, and placed 2000 Lucre on the counter.

**Lucre: 4800 → 2800 L**

Soiree's eyes boggled at the amount of money before her. _"This is more than I make in a week, kupo!"_ "I can't accept this." She replied reluctantly, pushing the money back.

Sean didn't bother taking it back. "Keep it," he replied calmly with a straight face. "This isn't a bribe or prepayment and I'm perfectly fine with you charging me for future purchases." _"I can't afford to dance around this."_ "This is just to hold onto those items for me. And, I'm sorry if I'm coming off a little weird, but I cannot have them fall into certain peoples' clutches."

"What if you are one of those people, kupo?" She asked evenly.

Sean put his arms in front of himself in an x-formation with his hands open and spread his arms apart on the word 'whatever.' "Then I'll do whatever it takes to prove that I'm a good guy." He then gave her a soft smile.

**New Reputation!**

**Soiree: (Neutral: 200/499)**

She ruminated on Sean's words. "All right." Soiree nodded with a smile and pulled out a sheet of paper. "You can start by helping rid the town of the Chocobo Eater, kupo!"

Sean took the notice from her and looked it over.

**Quest Alert!**

**Monster Mash**

**In order to prove yourself, Soiree's tasked you with helping slay the Chocobo Eater, a monster that, you guessed it, eats Chocobos. Defeat the Chocobo Eater before it becomes an even bigger issue.**

**Success: 5000 Exp, 3000 Lucre, Chocobo Summon, Increased Reputation, New Title**

**Failure: Potential Death(s), Destruction of Chocobo Ranch, Decreased Reputation with Norwich, Decreased Reputation with Various Characters**

He lowered the paper slightly and peered at her over the top. "Were you waiting for someone like me to come along?"

Soiree shook her head. "No, but we need all the help we can get. The monster has a nasty habit of running away whenever we get too close."

"Are the people in town not strong enough to stop it?" Sean hoped this wasn't a repeat of Domina. _"There has to be at least 1,000 people in this town. Surely some of them can kill this thing."_

"That's not the problem," Soiree replied. "The main issues are the creature's armored hide and the other monsters that show up with it. The Chocobo Eater uses the other monsters as a distraction so it can feast undisturbed."

"_Doesn't that monster have a weak point if you knock it on its back?"_ Sean vaguely remembered before sighing. "If this is what it takes, then I'm happy to help."

"Wonderful, kupo!" She clapped her paws together adorably with a smile.

"Did you want to see Remora now?" Sean asked. "Because I'm not doing anything else at the moment." _"Since Wedge is preoccupied."_

"Sure, just let me finish up here," Soiree responded. She put the 2000 Lucre in the cash register and made the spiral staircase to the second floor disappear. She then flew over to the front door with Sean walking behind her and opened it only to stop.

"Not again, kupo!" Soiree sighed.

"What's the prob—Uh, oh," Sean said at the sight before him.

Directly ahead of them, there was an angry Biggs standing by the town notice/quest board with a haughty woman in a skimpy outfit and a large, muscular man with the weirdest hairstyle Sean's ever seen standing next to him. The muscular man's shit-eating grin only pissed off the major further and in his hand was a stack of papers. He waved them in Biggs' face, taunting the shorter man into jumping for them.

Sean knew well enough from his time in school that a fight was about to break out and he moved closer, ready to assist if shit started.

**Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 7. I wanted to get this out in time for Christmas, but obviously that didn't happen. I'm probably going to go back and delete the update notices I left in the previous chapter.**

**The designs for the Moogles in this story are mainly from their Final Fantasy 12/Final Fantasy Tactics appearances. Other races, like the Seeq, will not look as ugly as they do in Final Fantasy 12. The design for the Chobin Hoods in this story comes from the game Children of Mana.**

**I introduced or mentioned a number of video game characters this chapter. Can you recognize them all? I've also been trying to come up with more passive skills for Sean to pick up when his stats reach different points. If you have any ideas, then please let me know.**

**Thank you all for being patient and for the follows, reads, faves, and reviews. It really means a lot to me and I'm glad that people like reading this story. Please leave a review.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Mana or any other game series. If I did, I'd release Legend of Mana on the PS4, the eventual PS5, and every other Sony system.

Chapter 8: There's Always Something

**Day 4: Jinn Day: 4:32 AM**

Hyssop calmly left his humble abode near the edge of the glade and took one of his black Chocobos from the stables. The bird crouched down, allowing Hyssop to climb aboard its back and take ahold of the majestic mount's reins. The cloaked Chobin Hood disappeared into the darkness of the woods, none wise to his departure.

Under the watch of the crescent moon, Hyssop's grey cloak rustled with every bound the bird took. He forwent his tribe's traditional garb and donned a set of well-crafted leather armor and a bone mask obscured by his hood. The dark mantle and bleached vizard granted Hyssop the guise of death, increasing his intimidation.

His arrival to Duma Desert was not a pleasurable one.

A frenzied squall lashed out against Hyssop like an angry viper and kicked up clouds of sand in its turbulent tantrum through the rolling, yellow dunes. The tiny granular attackers scattered and spread ahead of him, creating a dense fog. Hyssop ushered his mount onwards until they happened upon an outcrop where they took shelter and waited for the sandstorm to die down.

The pair huddled down and Hyssop pressed his back against the wall of their rocky haven. His hidden fur protected him against the stone's cold touch and he checked his equipment one last time with what remaining visibility he had. _"The bounty hunter was correct."_

A few days prior, a grizzled man, radiating confidence, believed it a swell idea to seek the bounty placed on one of their own. His arrogance blinded him, leading to the bounty hunter severely underestimating the difficulty of the task and found himself at the tribe's mercy. In exchange for his life, the man spoke of a recent attack on the White Forest.

The Ascensionists, a notorious group of Ixal, amassed 50 of their number and launched an assault for the purpose of obtaining Dior Wood. While their actions were nothing new, what piqued Hyssop's interest, and that of the others, was the wood's known properties.

Dior Wood was one of the rarest and most sought after crafting materials in the world. The prized resource was also infamous in just how arduous it was to procure. The 40 cooled corpses serving as monster chow in the White Forest testified to that fact. The only other locations where the wood could be acquired were Gato Grottoes, where the nuns lived, and one place long lost to time.

The bounty hunter informed them that the remaining members of the failed onslaught were last spotted moving towards Duma Desert.

Weighing the costs, Hyssop chose to take care of the matter alone. He felt it sound considering the struggles his people were already facing without adding another burdensome load. Hyssop did, however, alert a handpicked group of his friends to his imminent undertaking and had them on standby, lying in wait to collect the wood when he was done.

The wind died down with the arrival of the sun. The burning sphere peaked over the horizon, announced by a steadily climbing heat that scared away the night's remaining chill. The cloudy sky was cast in mesmerizing shades of yellow, purple, and blue whilst the sands changed into a lovely pink hue.

Hyssop, fully aware the storm was unnatural, climbed back onto the bird. The Chocobo stood up and shook its feathers free of sand. He stroked the avian's plumage gently, the bird leaning into his touch, and rode amongst the seemingly endless hills, passing many skeletons that were unearthed along the way.

All of the skeletal remains outshone Hyssop in the height department, not much of an achievement given his species, and were just as much victims of the sun as Hyssop's mask. The skeletons varied in structure from reptilian to bull-like with pointed horns. The latter's skulls were reminiscent of those seen in Old Western movies. All that was missing was a tumbleweed.

Hyssop lifted his mask just enough for his whiskers to sense vibrations in the air and his ears picked up faint chanting a short distance away. They trekked to the top of the next dune and Hyssop surveyed the area.

Down at the bottom of the hill, the 10 remaining Ixal chanted fervently in a circular formation.

Five stone pillars lined the circumference of the circle and each was carved with intricate runes depicting Ixal dancing around a massive, feathered woman. To every monolith, two chanters sat at the base with their backs faced towards it. The believers all had their hands spreads out, palms facing the sky to beckon their true leader. All of them bowed their heads in reverence. They closed their eyes tightly, desperately wishing yet too unworthy to behold the overwhelming beauty and magnificence they aimed to unleash.

A sizeable, three-ringed sigil composed of blue mana floated a foot off the ground between them. Glyphs dotted each ring and pulsed with a malicious energy. Hyssop was wholly unfamiliar with the symbols and couldn't decipher them, but common sense dictated exactly what was happening.

The Ixal were a bird-like race who were lithe in stature and in possession of curved horns and toothed beaks. Feathers grew from their arms near the elbow, but lacked any wings. The Ixal made up for this by being exceptionally tall. When comparing to other races, Hyssop would come up to an Ixal's knee while Sean would reach their hips.

Hyssop took out his bow and nocked a special arrow, taking a moment to eye the pile of wood resting under the sigil. Fiery red mana coalesced around the arrow's head, producing a gentle warmth. Rather than target a chanter, Hyssop aimed the projectile at the nearest obelisk. He knew a ritual when he saw one and didn't want to kill one of the Ascensionists, in case the intended death acted as a sacrifice and the final key to completing their plan.

Hyssop let the arrow fly and it exploded on impact, shattering the column to pieces. One of the Ixal was crushed under the heavy stone and his buddy was showered with rubble.

The sigil dissipated in wisps and situational awareness sank into the Ascensionists, who grabbed their double-headed axes and war hammers in preparation for battle. Foolishly, none of them were armed with long-range weapons. The followers were forced to abandon most of their equipment behind in favor of pleasing their goddess.

The summoners also left themselves vulnerable since the pillars were their only available cover.

Hyssop didn't wait his turn and his Chocobo raced down the dune, nocking three arrows on the way. One summoner concentrated mana into the sand and called upon the power of the earth to dispose of the interloper. The mighty bird leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the massive, erupting hand that would've surely crushed them and dragged them into the forgotten depths.

The hand followed the pair relentlessly till Hyssop fired. All three arrows were knocked to the ground by another chanter, his axe raised and ready to fight unlike half of their number who started to flee.

These projectiles were special like the first one and transformed the sand into freezing, glacier blue ice.

The cold touch of death spread far enough to leave the pillars frosted and crept up the legs of those who were foolish enough to stay, near instantly covering their bodies and leaving them immobilized as macabre sculptures. Their faces were twisted in surprise and anger, eyes widened and narrowed at how such a small creature could defeat them.

The stragglers raced up the dune with an obelisk to their backs to block Hyssop's shots. The Chobin Hood simply altered his arrows' trajectory and pierced through two of their skulls, arrows entering the back and exiting out the front between their eyes.

The other two crested the hilltop and escaped his line of fire.

Hyssop's whiskers twitched at a sudden displacement of air, however, and his ears made out the sound of growling and agonized screams.

He scanned the area for anymore enemies and, with the coast clear, rode down to the summoning circle. Hyssop nocked regular arrows and shattered each of the Ixal into ice crystals which melted under the sun's scorching heat.

Hyssop shot another arrow into the sky which exploded into a cloud of purple smoke, signaling his tribesmen to assist him in moving the wood somewhere safe.

His eyes lingered for a few seconds on the spot where the two chanters escaped, but he didn't dwell on it too much and waited for his friends to arrive. His main concern was his real leader and if she obtained the required Altena Alloy to rid themselves of their "problem."

**Nil's POV**

"Nothing like the sight of blood to get the day started," Nil said, smirking faintly. He returned Voice of Our Teeth to his back and took a seat on his Desert Wolf, the loyal beast's muzzle stained red with its freshest kill.

The Desert Wolf's bite was strong enough to tear a Chobin Hood in two, the speed to outrun a Chocobo, and the cleverness of a fox. In fact, Thrill of the Hunt had fox in his genealogy. It could be seen in the shape of his muzzle and the dark whiskers growing from his face.

Common amongst the species was the sand-colored fur, giving them a similar appearance to fennec foxes.

Nil himself was a young man in his late 20s to early 30s with lightly tanned skin. In spite of his lifestyle, Nil didn't wear much in the way of clothes. All he wore was an open red vest, a pair of grey pants overlaid by a piece of blue fabric attached to his muted yellow belt, leather archer vambraces, and a headdress adorned with a multitude of red feathers. They spilled over the back of his head like rain washing away the blood on a battlefield.

White metal plating sparsely covered his brown shoes, vambraces, and shoulders and the same material was sewn into his vest and blue fabric, offering minimal protection. The headdress, constructed of white, red, and black-colored steel, hid a head of black hair which went well with his stormy grey eyes.

Under each eye, a straight line tattoo crawled down to his upper check with a small circle at the ends. A trimmed black moustache and anchor goatee complemented his appearance.

A piece of red cloth hung loosely from around his neck.

Nil gave their recent kills a brief glance, one with his throat torn out and the other, an arrow through the eye. The three optics were transfixed in dread from when Thrill burst from the sand. Nil was disappointed he didn't get more of a fight, but one should only enjoy the kill as much as the challenge.

He took in the distant carnage like one would the grass on the ground or leaves on a tree. It was a familiar sight, one he's seen a million times. Still, Nil held an appreciation for the craft and admired the effectiveness of Hyssop's kills like one would a painting in a fine art gallery.

"It's a shame you lot couldn't put up more of a fight." Cool as a cucumber, Nil steered Thrill onwards away from the area. "But it is what it is."

Nil reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal. Blue and white energies swirled around each other inside in a hypnotic dance. He gave it a closer examination and heard a faint voice trying to give him orders, promising power and rewards beyond his wildest dreams.

Nil looted it from his own kill, thinking it might be worth something. The dead Ixal protected it like a mother would her precious child. He returned it to his pocket, not in the least bit interested in any offers, and kept going.

He idly scratched Thrill behind the ear as they moved on. "Still, this gift should lead to more fun down the road." Nil's blood sang in anticipation of future kills and he relished the feeling. It was comforting—like being home.

**Day 5: Dryad Day**

**Duelle POV**

While Sean was busy taking in the atmosphere, Duelle left to do some shopping.

Their earlier conversation and the information he found in the World History book got the onion thinking, _"What if he's right?"_ Duelle didn't fully believe in the threats that Sean purported to exist, but he believed that Sean believed in them. And, if they turned out to be true, then it wouldn't hurt to be more prepared for them.

That's why he was headed towards his friend's shop for a long overdue visit.

With his head in the clouds, Duelle didn't notice Koroku running his way. The Shiba Inu darted past him into an alleyway with the chain of sausage links still in his mouth. The speed at which Koroku ran caused the onion to spin in a circle when the dog bumped into him.

Duelle stopped himself and paused to get reoriented when he heard heavy footfalls approaching. The onion dove out of the way to avoid being crushed by the butcher's weight.

"Watch where you're going, pipsqueak!" The man shouted at him. He looked around and couldn't spot Koroku anywhere. The butcher fumed and stomped back to his shop, cursing under his breath all the while.

Duelle picked himself up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He sent a scowl at the departing man's back. "Jeez, what a jerk."

The onion warrior resumed his walk until he found himself at a blacksmith's shop.

The shop was a two-story tall wooden building with a red-tile roof. Over the front entrance, there was a portico, with the same red tiles, supported by wooden posts. Attached to the portico, a black, metal sign reading **"Wyld Arms"** hung by some chains.

On the right side of the building, there was an open area where passerby could stop and see the blacksmith at work. However, the public couldn't gain access since the entrance to the forge was inside the shop itself. A few anvils were spaced apart and tools of the trades, hammers and tongs being prime examples, either hung on the walls or relaxed on workbenches.

Duelle entered "Wyld Arms" with the jingling of a bell announcing his presence.

The air was heavy with the scent of sawed wood blended with oranges. All of the displays and countertop shined in cleanliness, not a speck of dust to be found anywhere. The floors were swept and the ceiling fans offered minimal comfort as Duelle perused the shelves, racks, and displays of polished battle equipment. There were enough armaments on sale to supply a small army.

Duelle was examining a buckler when someone stomped down the stairs.

"Duelle! I haven't seen you in some time." The seeq stated with a friendly grin. She proceeded to pick the onion warrior up and hugged his face into her ample chest. To an outside observer, it looked like she was hugging a teddy bear.

Wylda was a young woman of 28 years with blue skin over most of her body except her stomach, chest, and around her muzzle where it was more of a tan color. Aside from the grey horn on top of her head, Wylda was only an inch or two taller than Sean. From her bottom lip, two small white tusks poked out.

She had purple eyes along with a pair of long ears and possessed no hair. Wylda was slightly chubby in the stomach, but not unhealthily so, and held a great figure. Her arms and legs were muscular from all of her blacksmithing and workouts. Behind her, Wylda's tail swished from side-to-side with her movements and there was a red tuft of fur at the end of it.

She wore a brown blacksmith's apron over a white shirt which by this point was covered in black stains from working with the coal forge. To protect her hands, Wylda wore a thick pair of brown gloves and wore special black shoes on her 'feet.'

"It's nice to see you, too." Came Duelle's muffled reply. Wylda usually did this whenever he dropped by and has long since gotten used to it. "Now, can you let me go? It's hard to breath with your breasts in my face."

Wylda removed the onion's face from her bosom, but still held him in her hands and Duelle took a deep breath of that sweet, sweet air.

"Are you okay?"

Duelle nodded. "Yeah. My life flashed before my eyes, but I'll be fine."

"What have you been up to?" Wylda asked. She set Duelle down on the citrus-scented counter. "Last time you were here, you mentioned trouble with some Bangaa."

"Eh, it's been taken care of, more or less." Duelle did a so-so hand gesture, not really wanting to get into it right now. "How about yourself?"

"The same as always though business has picked up lately." Wylda replied. She grabbed a nearby hand towel and wiped the soot stains off her face. "So, is this just a friendly visit or did you finally want upgrade from toothpick?" Wylda pointed at Duelle's spear, clearly not the least bit impressed by the weapon.

"Hey, it may be small, but it's how you use it that counts," Duelle joked. However, his thoughts drifted back to why he was there in the first place. Not to mention the recent surge in monster attacks which correlated with Wylda's increase in sales. "But yeah, I'd like you to improve this."

Duelle handed his weapon to Wylda who took it and heavily scrutinized it.

The spear was well taken care of with no rolls or scratches on the blade. Duelle regularly performed maintenance on his weapon and kept it clean of dirt, blood, and other substances.

"Wouldn't you rather replace toothpick with something better?" Wylda gently waved the spear around. "I can give you good deal." She pointed at the spear rack with the tip of his own and gave him a hopeful look. "Get you a buckler, too."

Wylda didn't pity Duelle for his short stature, but knew that it would hinder him physically in contrast to other warriors out there. With all the monsters roaming about, the onion could easily become a quick snack and she wanted him better protected.

Duelle shook his head. "I can't give it up. Gungnir's been with me for years and has seen me through more trouble than I can count." Despite the spear's appearance, with its flimsy-looking, stick-like shaft, the weapon was very tough. At times, Duelle swore he could feel energy coursing through it just waiting to be unleashed. "I'll take you up on the buckler since you're offering."

Wylda sighed. "Very well. I'll improve this for you." She liked Duelle and prayed that his sentimentality didn't get him killed one day.

The onion warrior smiled at her and jokingly responded, "You sure it's not too much for you."

Wylda snorted. "Please. Tiny spear is child's play compared to my regular work." She stepped away from the counter, making sure to set Duelle back onto the floor as she did, and opened the door to the forge. "I'll turn this thing into a proper weapon in no time." Wylda grinned at him over her shoulder.

"I don't doubt it," Duelle replied. He went back to looking at the bucklers since he was too short to properly use a shield. Wylda entered the forge and started hammering away.

**Biggs POV**

"Man," Biggs complained quietly. "Why'd I have to be the one to get saddled with this?"

In his hands, there was a stack of fliers and wanted posters ready for the notification board.

The Major originally planned to catch some z's since he and the others were up all the previous night, but Biggs knew in the back of his mind that someone from the precinct would eventually come knocking and nag him to get his job done.

Rather than having to deal with that, Biggs sucked up his irritation and exhaustion and trudged back to the station after Wedge and Emily began their search for Juan. The Major overheard another officer mention that Inspector Boyd would begin the interrogations soon, but he couldn't give a crap.

Biggs wasn't allowed to question witnesses or suspects anymore, not after his temper created a few past incidents. Personally, he didn't think he did anything wrong. Sure, Biggs might've roughed the suspects up a bit, but if the case was solved, what was the harm.

"Buncha pansies," he muttered on his way through town.

Biggs was well-known amongst the populace for his anger and he was given a wide berth. The townspeople didn't regard the Major with fear. Rather, their emotions ranged from feelings of gratitude to weariness with the expectancy that any little thing would set the man off.

The Major arrived at the notice board with little interruption and tacked on a couple wanted posters with the addition of requests for assistance. Menial tasks regularly flooded the board and it was all due to a stupid prank pulled off by barmy brats.

The first wanted poster depicted a wily-looking vixen with luscious red fur and a mischievous smile. The sly fox wore a gold necklace and a white, low-cut gypsy dress.

**WANTED**

**DEAD or ALIVE**

"**Bandit King" Scarlet**

**L 50,000**

The second poster portrayed a female Chobin Hood in a forest green tunic and grey hood. Her expression was calm and her brilliant citrine eyes regarded the viewer with a tranquil air.

**WANTED**

**DEAD or ALIVE**

"**Jeweled Sniper" Schierke**

**L 30,000**

Biggs started tidying up the notice board to give himself enough room to place everything when he heard a voice that could ruin anyone's day.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Major Biggs. Hard at work, I see."

Biggs quietly exhaled and kept to his task, not bothering to turn around. "What'd you want, Magissa?"

"Now, now, is that anyway for an officer to greet a lady?"

"If I was actually speakin' to one, but you're nothin' but a bitch."

"Ohohoho…" Magissa laughed with her hand raised to her mouth. "Such biting words. No wonder no one wants to be around you except that toady of yours. Tell me, where is he now?"

"Hey, Wedge is a good friend." Biggs knew he wasn't going to get anymore work done and turned to face her. "Far better than that dingbat screwball you've been draggin' around."

Their conversation didn't go unnoticed with all the residents and travelers milling about. Some stopped to discreetly eavesdrop, an occurrence Biggs was accustomed to and Magissa savored if it meant embarrassing the officer.

"Forza is 'more' of a man than you'll ever be." Magissa smirked mockingly. "He knows how to pleasure a woman."

Biggs caught the double meaning and smirked right back. "Funny, I must've missed it over all times you screamed 'Oh, God!' when I was plowin' ya." The Major distinctly remembered his neighbors complaining at him for being too loud. "Now, how's about you get lost. I'm too tired to deal with your shit today."

Many of their growing audience smirked and others snickered quietly. Gengen soon joined the onlookers when he viewed the gathering from the liquor store window and knew trouble was coming. His nose wrinkled since the rose smell was closer this time.

"For your information, I came looking for work."

"Doing what? Kidnapping again," Biggs replied knowingly.

"No." A muscular man shadowed Biggs and tore the flyers from his grip. "We here for hunting jobs. Too much for puny weakling to handle."

"You better hand those over, Forza."

"Or what?" The strong man challenged. Forza gave Biggs a shit-eating grin and waved the papers tauntingly. "You going to find adventurer to get them for you? Everyone know police can do nothing without having their hands held."

"I can take you into custody for interfering with police business and provoking an officer." Biggs stated calmly. On the inside, he was itching for a fight. The Major would love nothing more than to knock the grin off Forza's face, along with a few teeth.

"Hahaha!" Forza threw his head back and laughed. "What I have to fear from broken man to pathetic to hold onto woman."

"She's nothin' but fool's gold." Biggs scowled at the memory. He reached out his right hand and gestured for the flyers' return. "Fork over those papers before things turn ugly."

"I tell you what." Forza raised the stack above Biggs. "Maybe you get them back if you jump high enough."

The Major had no intention of tarnishing his reputation in front of so many people.

"I'm telling ya one last time, nimrod. You don't want to do this."

Unbeknownst to Forza, Biggs was armed and ready for a fight. He even loaded one of his gauntlet's chambers with something special for guys like him.

Forza shook his head. "If tiny man doesn't want to play along, then I guess there's—huh?"

"Yoink!"

The strong man stared at his empty hand in open bewilderment, puzzled by the papers' sudden disappearance. Forza quickly gathered his bearings and spotted them in Sean's hands. The younger man casually flipped through the flyers, far more concerned with acquiring the Esuna spell than Forza's schoolyard nonsense.

'Observe'

**Name: Forza**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Juggernaut**

**Age: 37**

**Level: Lvl 25 Next Level: 54,388/275,200**

**HP: 2500/2500**

**TP: 6375/6375**

**MP: 250/250**

**STR: 180**

**VIT: 100**

**DEX: 75**

**INT: 10**

**WIS: 10**

**SPI: 1**

**LUK: 1**

**Synchro Effect: [Out of My Way Lvl 1]**

**Effect: When fighting alone, all of Forza's stats receive a 25% increase.**

**Stat Points: 125**

**Perk Points: 50**

**Description: A big game hunter, Forza travels around with his wife Magissa in search of things that will net a large bounty.**

Forza was a tank of a man whose only article of clothing was a simple pair of brown jeans. Sean wondered if the man was a monster, not aware of how close he was with that assessment. It was no surprise really given the man's discolored skin, tan mixed with shades of light brown and yellow mingling in his flesh.

A jade gemstone was embedded in the center of Forza's chest above the sternum, framed by a veiny, gold inlay akin to a rotting infection. The man was bald except for a tiny strand of hair at whose end was tied a purple ball. It was joined by two others on each of his shoulders.

"_This one doesn't sound that hard."_ Sean thought, glancing over the Daily Quests.

"Give those back, puny." Forza reached for them, pure white eyes narrowed balefully. Sean simply sidestepped his swipe and shoved the flyers into his inventory. He wasn't in the least bit intimidated even though Forza was two feet taller.

"Huh, would you look at that. They're gone," Sean deadpanned in complete monotone. He's run into his fair share of douchebags and bullies throughout his life. Sean has long passed the point where he's tired of them.

"Forza may have to hurt little man if he doesn't bring them back." The bigger man grinned savagely.

Not one to be pushed around, Sean looked him right in the eye, unamused. "Go ahead and try, jackass." He momentarily pondered summoning Remora, but quickly cut off that train of thought. _"The townspeople will probably freak out if I do that. Make 'em think there's a monster attack."_

**For thinking things through, you have gained +2 INT and +2 WIS.**

**INT: 35 → 37**

**WIS: 35 → 37**

Given the market's wide area, Sean planned to execute hit-and-run tactics and knock Forza down in a fight of attrition if the man actually attacked him.

Biggs stepped in his way when Forza advanced on Sean. "Knock it off! If you start fighting, I will place you under arrest."

"Take care of this trash, honey!" Magissa called with a cruel smile, marring her natural beauty. "They're no challenge for you."

Forza shot her a grin that was more lascivious than anything. "Right away, my sweet." He turned his head back to Sean and Biggs. "Try not to lose too quickly. I've had no decent fight for good while."

**Name: Magissa**

**Race: Human**

**Title: Bounty Hunter**

**Age: 26**

**Level: Lvl 13 Next Level: 18,322/36,500**

**HP: 500/500**

**TP: 1300/1300**

**MP: 375/375**

**STR: 22**

**VIT: 20**

**DEX: 30**

**INT: 15**

**WIS: 10**

**SPI: 10**

**LUK: 20**

**Synchro Effect: [Dominatrix Lvl 1]**

**Effect: Physical damage inflicted on an enemy increases by 25% when fighting with a whip.**

**Stat Points: 65**

**Perk Points: 26**

**Description: Bigg's ex-wife, she travels around with her husband Forza in search of riches and big game.**

Magissa was a beautiful, teal-eyed woman with green hair pushed back with a white headband. Her attire consisted of a blue, strapless bodysuit that fully accentuated her curves. Fur lining ran across the top of the bodysuit above her breasts. Two black vertical lines traveled down from her chest to her inner thighs and a light purple belt looped around her waist. A golden bracelet wrapped around her right wrist and a pair of green boots decorated with yellow stripes completed her look.

A bow and quiver rested on her back. The long-range weapon didn't want for company. Its companions were a short sword hooked to her belt on the left side and a long, green whip on the other. Magissa's hand slowly reached for her bow, ready to assist her loving husband.

Her wrist was grabbed by a gloved hand and Magissa glared at whoever had the audacity to touch her.

Gengen gazed back flatly. "It not good idea to draw weapon in town."

"Oh, if it isn't the mutt." Magissa sneered. "Isn't there a toilet bowl you should be drinking out of somewhere?"

The other canids in the crowd bristled at her racial slurs. The stereotypes she used mainly applied to Kobolds (Dog-Type), but were used against similar species such as the Lupin and Gnolls. A member of the latter race curiously stood out amongst them. She snorted at Magissa's words, not miffed in the least.

**Race: Gnolls**

**Description: The gnolls are a hyena-like race known for their aggression and ferocity in battle. They commonly run as a pack and each one is led by an alpha. Both male and female alike stand in an average range of 6 to 7 ft. though some can grow taller.**

**They are regarded by many as primitive due to their tendency to live out in the wilderness as opposed to civilized dwellings like towns and cities. Gnolls love the thrill of the hunt and are capable of healthy interactions with other races. Just be prepared to test your might. Strength is valued highly by the gnolls.**

**Observe Lvl 13 → Lvl 14**

"Why Gengen drink from toilet?" The kobold asked. "Leona has apple juice back at bar." His tail wagged, picturing the delicious drink.

Magissa sighed. "I forgot I was talking to an idiot," she muttered. Gengen caught it, but didn't say anything. She tried pulling her wrist free only to meet failure at his superior strength. "Get your stinking paws off me!"

"Me took a shower this morning." Gengen noticed Soiree hovering near Forza and smiled at what was coming. "Fight over now anyway."

Everyone watched Forza take a single, ill-intentioned step before being shrouded by a cloud of light green gas. Sean sent an Aero at the cloud to protect himself just as he and Biggs stepped back to avoid it. He assumed the pall to be poisonous since the color green was normally associated with toxic properties in video games.

**Aero Lvl 7 → Lvl 8**

Sean's spell successfully dispersed the cloud and everybody got a good look at Forza.

Where once a towering behemoth stood, there now sat a tiny green bullfrog with wet skin and little bumps spread all across his back. Forza blinked and let out a croak, not really doing much else.

"Forza!" Magissa shouted. Gengen let her go and she stormed over to confront Soiree. "What did you do to him!?"

"Pretty sure she just turned him into a frog," Sean said.

Magissa glowered at him. "Undo the spell. Now!" She yelled at Soiree.

"I can't, kupo! I don't know the Esuna spell." The moogle replied. "You can go get a Maiden's Kiss though."

"Good luck with that." Biggs didn't know about Maiden's Kiss. "She hasn't been a maiden for 13 years."

Magissa bit her tongue and reluctantly picked up her husband. She grimaced at his slippery skin and strode off angrily, but not without sending them one last glare. The townspeople stepped aside to let her pass and went on with their daily business.

**New Reputations!**

**Gengen: (Neutral: 150/499)**

**Magissa: (Unfriendly: -630/-1999)**

**Forza: (Unfriendly: -700/-1999)**

"Can I have those flyers back now?" Biggs asked.

Sean blinked. "Oh, right." He pulled the stack of papers out of his inventory and quickly flipped through them. Sean pulled out three and handed the rest over. "I'm gonna take these ones."

"Fine by me." Biggs completed the rest of his task and stepped back to make sure the board was nice and ordered. Nodding at a job well done, the knackered officer walked back to his house without another word.

Sean didn't pay attention to his departure, being too excited about getting the Esuna spell to care. He sincerely hoped one of the quests he just grabbed would fulfill the requirements for the Bring Home the Bacon quest.

**Daily Quest!**

**Fix the Shed**

**The local farmers' tool shed was damaged in a monster attack and they have requested help in fixing it.**

**Reward: 20 Exp, Increased Reputation with Norwich**

**Failure: Nothing**

**Daily Quest!**

**Water the Garden**

**An elderly woman needs help tending to her vegetables. Why don't you help her out?**

**Reward: 20 Exp, Increased Reputation with Norwich**

**Failure: Nothing**

**Daily Quest!**

**Fetch the Package**

**Pelican accidently left a shipment of potions at the tailor's. Retrieve the package and deliver it to the item shop.**

**Reward: 20 Exp, Increased Reputation with Norwich**

**Failure: Nothing**

**Daily Quests**

**In video games, main quests and side quests can normally be completed only once. Daily Quests, on the other hand, refresh each day and can be taken multiple times. Don't expect the exact same quests to appear every day. The people you encounter are not mindless NPCs and have lives of their own.**

**Current Limit: 10 Quests per day (per town or settlement)**

"_I hope Li'l Cactus doesn't write about these."_ Sean didn't think they'd be that interesting.

He turned to Soiree. "Do you know a good spot where I can summon Remora? I don't want to scare the town."

"Sure. The fields outside of town should work fine, kupo!"

"What about you, Gengen?" Sean asked the kobold. "You want to tag along?"

"Me don't know. I should probably get back to Leona."

"_I think she was trying to get rid of you."_ The proprietress seemed awfully ready to provide Gengen's help.

"Come on, Gengen. You spend too much time in that bar, kupo!" Soiree offered him a gentle smile and gave him a pat on the head. "The sunlight will do you some good."

Gengen's tail stood up at the petting. "It's getting close to lunch. Me need something yummy."

"We can stop and grab a bite to eat afterwards," Sean replied. He figured treating them to a nice meal would increase his reputation and potentially gain more recipes. _"Should probably start observing my meals."_

"Then let's go!" Gengen said excitedly. The kobold ran ahead with his fist raised in the air.

"Sure is lively, isn't he."

"Gengen's always been that way, kupo! That's why he's adored back home."

"Does he have a huge family there?" Sean asked. The pair walked behind the enthused canine, enjoying the warmth of the sunny day.

Soiree shook her head. "His family doesn't live in Kobold Village, kupo! But he has his own fan club."

"That's pretty cool." Sean pondered how that happened since Suikoden 2 didn't go into much detail for most of its characters. "It was funny what you did to Forza, by the way." He made sure to keep a close eye on his mini map for any signs of the tool shed.

"It was just a simple [Frog] spell." Soiree replied nonchalantly. "I learned that from my uncle years ago."

"How long does the effect last?"

"He'll be back to normal in a few hours, kupo!" She sighed and rubbed her head, pom-pom bobbing in tune with her wings. "If only they would stop causing trouble every time they came to town."

"I'm guessing that woman was Biggs' ex." Sean stated. He already knew she was from his Observe ability, but he needed to play the part of the oblivious newcomer.

"I don't know them well enough to say for sure, kupo! It certainly seems that way, though."

Their conversation lulled for a few minutes until Sean asked, "Do you know anymore spells?" Perhaps if he built up a good enough rapport, she might impart additional knowledge on him.

"Only a few, kupo! And they're mostly status spells. I was never the mage of the family." Soiree became more animated. "What really interested me was finding things."

"You mean like archaeology?" Sean smelled the stench of manure and dirt wafting from the fields, showing they were close.

Soiree shook her head. "No, more like treasure hunting. It's always been fun discovering old items and I use them to keep my shop stocked, kupo! I even go to the Junkyard sometimes."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Sean asked concerned. The toys in the Junkyard hated people and many wouldn't hesitate to attack. _"Or maybe their hatred only applies to humans."_

Soiree appreciated his worry. "Normally yes, kupo! But they mistake me for a toy due to my appearance."

Sean smiled. "That's kind of funny."

Their talk died down once they reached the fields and reunited with Gengen.

The sprawling farmlands were divided into rectangular fields, each growing one of a wide array of fruits and vegetables. Chief among the produce were tomatoes, followed by potatoes, corn, pumpkins, watermelon, and many other gifts of the earth one wouldn't imagine seeing planted so close to each other. Dirt trails ran between the fields and many farmers were presently at work ambling up and down them to tend to their crops. A rail fence separated the farmland from the rest of town.

The farmers weren't alone or unprotected.

Lightly armored men and woman patrolled the grounds armed with bows, swords, and bladed spears. They stayed alert for any monster attacks and spaced themselves out far enough to respond if one happened. Sean couldn't count them all, but he supposed there were 30 of them.

Sean was glad that they were there to protect the town's livelihood, but even more so due to his boss sense tingling. More often than not, bosses in video games, typically RPGs, would appear when the player arrived in either a wide open area or the biggest room in a dungeon. He's played enough games to know when trouble is approaching.

"_And not that I want it to happen, but what's to stop a Level 100 monster from attacking and killing everyone? Is there someone in town above that level?"_

Sean's train of thought got sidetracked when a small building sprang up on his map.

"Excuse me, but I need to take care of something real quick." Sean ran off with a grin on his face, eager to obtain one of the best spells ever.

Soiree and Gengen stood there befuddled, watching Sean sprint to the tool shed like there was a million Lucre in there.

"He sure is excited." The kobold stated.

The tool shed had a gaping hole in the roof. A monster tried to break into the shed and eat a farmer who hid in there during a previous attack.

Sean raised his hand and cast [Repair] on the roof. There were no wooden boards around to fix the hole. Instead, the opening just closed itself up as if time was rewound. Sean briefly contemplated the spell's implications, but was distracted again when the Esuna spell book materialized in his inventory.

"_Finally!"_

**Quest Completed!**

**Bring Home the Bacon**

**Being new here, ****you've found yourself with very little of the local currency and sadly your debit card won't help. Find a job or other method of bringing in cash to support yourself and keep your household running.**

**Reward: 50 Exp, A Steady Source of Income, Esuna Skill Book**

**EXP: 8,153/47,000 → 8,203/47,000**

Sean took both it and the Mana Manipulation spell books out of his inventory and absorbed the combined information.

**Esuna (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 20 MP**

**Also known as Heal, Remedy, and Clear, Esuna is one of the most common White Magic spells and one of the most powerful. This spell cures status effects and, with the exception of KO [Knocked Out], can become powerful enough to remove any or all of them at higher levels.**

**Lvl 1: The user can heal the [Poisoned] status effect.**

"Sweet."

**Mana Manipulation (Active/Passive) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: Varies**

**Throwing fireballs and shooting lightning can be fun, but without the proper control and understanding, the user won't advance far beyond that. This skill allows the gamer to create mana constructs and shape their magic in ways they never thought possible. The cost of the spell depends on the difficulty of what the user is trying to do.**

**It is recommended that beginners and first year students start small to avoid magical accidents.**

And if that wasn't good enough, Sean was gifted a new passive skill.

**Arcane Mastery (Passive) Lvl 1 [0%]**

**Often associated with magic, the term "Arcane" refers to that which is secret or mysterious in nature and understood by very few. This skill cannot be trained directly. Only through studying and properly practicing spells can the user level this ability and uncover the secrets of the arcane and the mysteries of magic.**

**Passively increases SPI by 5%**

**Passive increases WIS by 5%**

**Passively increases INT by 5%**

**Decreases Spell Cost by 1%**

"Holy fuck, this is gonna be awesome."

"What's going to be awesome, kupo!?" Soiree asked, flying over to see if Sean was okay. It was a weird sight to see a grown man staring out into nothing and talking to himself. "And what happened to those books?"

"I absorbed them," Sean responded. He didn't see imparting that little tidbit to be dangerous. "I can now cast the Esuna spell."

"You didn't master them already did you?" Soiree didn't let her jealousy show.

"Oh, no." Sean shook his head. "I still have to train them. I simply know how to cast them."

One more notification appeared.

**Daily Quest Completed!**

**Fix the Shed**

**Reward: 20 Exp, Increased Reputation with Norwich**

**EXP: 8,203/47,000 → 8,223/47,000**

**New Reputation!**

**Town of Norwich (Neutral: 20/499)**

"_That's nice, too."_

"Say, how many people are familiar with conjuration?" Sean reached into his pocket and pulled out the Bomb Summon Sphere. "Because I don't want to cause a panic." Being shot at wasn't his ideal Friday afternoon.

"Most people aren't familiar with it, kupo!" Soiree said. "But sticking to the grass shouldn't cause any trouble."

"All right, then. Are you two ready?"

Gengen and Soiree nodded.

Sean called on Remora and the piranha-like fish appeared out of thin air. The fish swam around him aimlessly, their mouths ever-open and waiting for their first command. Gengen placed his hand on his short sword and Soiree materialized a war hammer. Sean raised his hands to pacify the duo.

"Calm down. They aren't going to attack. Watch." Sean waved his hand in front of one of them and the remora didn't react in the least.

Seeing the absence of hostility, they put their weapons away and moved closer. Gengen's muzzle scrunched up and he sneezed.

"Grrr…Gengen hate fishy smell."

Soiree eyed Remora inquisitively. "What do they do?"

"They mainly help me in battle. I'll show you." He faced his summon. "Hey, you lot. I want all of you to prepare the Water spell." The piranha did exactly as he ordered and gathered mana in their mouths, converting it to the proper form and ready to cast.

"Do you mean to fight your other summon?"

"No, I summoned Remora for extra safety in case things get out of hand." Sean held up the Bomb Summon Sphere and activated the orb.

**For exercising proper safety caution, you have gained +3 INT and +3 WIS.**

**INT: 37 → 40**

**WIS: 37 → 40**

Fire blazed uncontrollably beneath the surface of the sphere and grew so hot that Sean had to drop it when the orb burnt his hand. The rising heat instantly torched the grass around it into a smoky, dead grey. The intensity became too much for the sphere to contain and it shattered with a loud crackling noise accompanied by a heat wave.

Four streams of fire jumped from the orb right as it shattered and danced around Sean in a rotating pillar of green and the primary colors. The experience was akin to a faerie ritual where small children were spirited away. Gengen and Soiree backed off to safety, leaving Sean to contemplate his life.

"_Shit! I should've thought this through more."_

Sean was just about to use the Pause game mechanic and reload an earlier save when the spinning inferno stopped and the heat rapidly lessened.

He pulled off his shirt and used it to rub the sweat from his brow, exposing his growing muscles to the world. Sean wasn't ripped by any means, but he was getting there. If asked, Sean would prefer the build of a rock climber to a bodybuilder.

The four streams of fire separated and changed into four fireballs. Each of them was the size of a beach ball and laughed maniacally, hugging themselves in levity with short, stubby arms. The flames formed glowing spikes on the back of their bodies and the creatures eyed their new summoner with creepy yellow and black sclera eyes and grinning mouths of sharp teeth.

"Fuck. That was a trip." Sean put his sweaty shirt away and leveled a glare at the giggling Bombs. "Yeah, real hilarious."

They just laughed more at his reaction and Sean wondered how funny they'd find it to be doused in cold water. He wasn't going to do that, of course, since he needed them and didn't want to piss them off. Sean knew why they were the bane of many gamers.

He then noticed with dread that the others had their weapons out once more and Gengen looked ready to attack one of the Bombs.

"Stop!" Sean held out his hand. His panicked expression stopped them from committing suicide. "You do not want to attack these guys." Sean stressed his words with dire importance. "If you do, they will blow up. They're called Bombs for a reason."

**New Summon Gained! Pact Formed!**

**Bomb [Fire] Cost: 100 MP Cooldown: 30 Minutes (Upon Defeat or Detonation)**

**Link: Lvl 1 Next Level: 0/50 AP**

**Standing: 0/1000**

**HP: 4,000/4,000 (1,000 HP Each)**

**TP: 0/0**

**MP: 1,000/1,000 (250 MP Each)**

**STR: 20**

**VIT: 40**

**DEX: 20**

**INT: 10**

**WIS: 10**

**SPI: 30**

**LUK: 2**

**Overdrive: [KaBOOM!]—KaBOOM! is an ability where one or all of the Bombs rapidly expand and detonate, consuming enemies in a fiery blast that they will not walk away from unscathed. DMG Formula: (SPI + (SPI * 300%)) x 1 to 4**

**Summon Effect: + 50 Fire Affinity (Passive)**

**Summon Effect: Grants the user +1 STR every time the summon or user levels up**

**Description: Bombs are living explosives, prone to destroying themselves along with their enemies with their powerful "Self-Destruct." Bombs take the rage built up by being attacked and transform it into energy. This, in turn, makes them grow, sometimes to incredible sizes.**

"Help! Monster attack!" A stampede of farmers fled past them toward town.

Sean snorted. "Were we actually under attack, I'd be a charcoal briquette right now." _"Come to think of it, summoning the Bombs did nothing to my HP."_

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Gengen thinks they meant that." The kobold pointed in the direction the farmers ran from.

Sean shielded his eyes when he looked towards the sky and saw a contingent of insectoid and aerial beasts soaring straight for them, the main force a fair ways off. One monster split off and dove for the nearest person. The guards tried to knock the creature out of the air, but it was simply too fast.

In his panicked state, the farmer didn't see the one-eyed terror gaining on him and a lightning bolt struck the beast right before it killed him, causing the farmer to trip and the airborne monstrosity to hit the ground with a loud crack.

**Thunder Lvl 5 → Lvl 6**

**-160 HP**

**SPI: 55 → 56**

**For good aim, you have gained +2 DEX**

**DEX: 70 → 72**

Sean blew his index and middle fingers like a gun and crossed the 20 yards to where the man lie in shock. He grabbed the farmer roughly by the arm and pulled him up, slapping the guy on the back to get moving. The dude took the hint and dashed away, leaving Sean alone with the monster.

**Floating Eye Lvl 14**

**HP: 140/300**

**TP: 0/0**

**MP: 125/125**

**STR: 5**

**VIT: 12**

**DEX: 40**

**INT: 5**

**WIS: 30**

**SPI: 5**

**LUK: 1**

**Description: The weakest member of the Ahriman-family, floating eyes possess little to no combat ability and normally travel in groups as a result. Watch out for their Stare ability, known to inflict [Confuse] or [Sleep] on rare occasions.**

**Observe Lvl 14 → Lvl 15**

**Lvl 15: The user can now see what equipment and items the target is carrying or wearing.**

The name "Floating Eye" was pretty self-descriptive. The monster was merely a hovering blood red eye with a grey body, a pair of bat-like wings, two short legs and a long tail.

Electricity coursed through its body, causing the beast to spasm as it futilely attempted to flap its wings. A charred stench wafted from where the lightning left a vein-like scar on the monster's skin. Sean finished it off with another thunder and watched its body disappear.

**+2,387 EXP**

**EXP: 8,223/47,000 → 10,610/47,000**

**Remora: 223/310 → 233/310 AP**

**Bomb: 0/50 → 20/50 AP**

A new crafting item, 50 Lucre, and a bottle of what appeared to be dirty dishwater took the corpse's place.

**Lucre: 2800 → 2850 L**

**[Common][Crafting Item] Crimson Eyeball**

**This rather macabre item can be used to enhance the Shade-elemental alignment of a piece of equipment.**

**[Uncommon][Item] Echo Screen**

**A light grey potion that removes the [Silence] status effect from the user.**

"Ew." Sean grimaced at the eye, clearly hesitant to pick it up. The ocular organ was soaked in aqueous humor. He slowly reached for the eye and practically threw it into his inventory upon contact. Some of the fluid stuck to his fingers like glue and Sean rubbed his hand into the grass as hard as he could before rinsing it off with a Water spell.

**Water Lvl 5 → Lvl 6**

"Why'd you take the eye?" Gengen asked, clearly confused.

"It's a crafting material," Sean answered succinctly. "…video games are weird."

"They're still coming, kupo!"

"Oh, right." Sean scratched his head. _"Can't help feel I'm forgetting something."_ Sean watched the guards send more arrows at the horrendous flight and snapped his fingers. He created a party invite and two windows popped up before them.

**Sean Rent has sent you a party invite.**

**Would you like to join "Accept this if you want to live?"**

**Confirm [Y]/Refuse [N]**

"What are these things?" The kobold poked the floating window. "Gengen confused."

"Please hit 'yes'. I don't have time to explain this. Just be secure in the fact that this will make the fight a lot easier."

Gengen, the proud Kobold that he is, promptly pushed the [Y] button. If it meant keeping the town safe, then he would gladly leap into the unknown and do the best that he could. Soiree only paused for a moment, taking the time to consider what this stranger was cooking. He had good intentions, but she knew there was more to this eccentric man.

"_I'll do it, but if something fishy happens, you'll be in so much trouble."_

Soiree accepted the invite and the screens went away.

"Next, say 'stats'." Sean looked through his peripheral and saw a few more floating eyes swoop down ahead of the main force. "Remora! Thunder! Open fire!"

The piranha widened their mouths and fired an electrical barrage at the monsters, blasting one away that landed on and nearly bit the head off a person. Remora finished them off in seconds. The guards were all still alive albeit shaken.

**+7161 EXP**

**EXP: 10,610/47,000 → 17,771/47,000**

**Remora: 233/310 → 263/310 AP**

**Bomb: Level Up!**

**Bomb [Fire] Cost: 100 MP Cooldown: 30 Minutes**

**Link: Lvl 2 Next Level: 30/80 AP**

**Standing: 0/1000**

**HP: 4,000/4,000 (1,000 HP Each) → 5000/5000 (1,250 HP Each)**

**TP: 0/0**

**MP: 1,000/1,000 (250 MP Each) → 2000/2000 (500 MP Each)**

**STR: 20 → 30**

**VIT: 40 → 50**

**DEX: 20 → 30**

**INT: 10 → 20**

**WIS: 10 → 20**

**SPI: 30 → 50**

**LUK: 2 → 4**

**Sean's STR: 60 ****→ 61**

"Don't worry. I've got them covered," Sean said, getting the two back on track. They almost ran off to assist the protectors till Remora saved them. "We don't have much longer."

The sentinels regrouped into one troop to mount a more effective defense. They shot suspicious glances at Remora and the sentries' postures displayed wariness without any signs of aggression.

Sean's eyes skimmed the stat pages, already knowing where he would allocate the points. "Do either of you know a spell to ease pain?" He asked. Sean remembered vividly the agony Biggs and Wedge suffered through the last time he did this and he didn't desire a repeat of past events. "Because otherwise this is going to hurt and it's not my intention to cause pain to anyone unless they deserve it."

"I know the [Soothe] spell, kupo!" Soiree answered. "It's supposed to relax the body and erase all aches and discomfort."

Sean exhaled in relief. "That's good. Can you multicast?" Soiree nodded. "Then I suggest casting it right away." He laughed humorlessly. "Seriously, I can't stress how bad it'll feel if you don't."

"You two ready?"

Gengen nodded and Soiree hovered in place, ready to cast.

"All right. Here we go." Sean said as Soiree used the [Soothe] spell on herself and the kobold.

**Name: Gengen**

**Race: Kobold (Dog-Type)**

**Title: "Captain"**

**Age: 17**

**Level: Lvl 12 Next Level: 12,245/29,000**

**HP: 700/700 → 1075/1075**

**TP: 1875/1875 → 3000/3000**

**MP: 175/175**

**STR: 33 → 60**

**VIT: 28 → 43**

**DEX: 42 → 60**

**INT: 7**

**WIS: 8**

**SPI: 7**

**LUK: 5**

**Synchro Effect: [Might of the Kobolds Lvl 1]**

**Effect: When fighting in a group, Gengen's stats increase by 5% for each person. His stats increase by 10% for each Kobold in that group including himself.**

**Stat Points: 60 → 0**

**Perk Points: 24**

**Description: He is a proud Kobold who dreams of one day becoming a great warrior and a police chief.**

**Name: Soiree**

**Race: Moogle**

**Title: Store Owner**

**Age: 23**

**Level: Lvl 31 Next Level: 25,383/377,000**

**HP: 1375/1375 → 2500/2500**

**TP: 4750/4750 → 6500/6500**

**MP: 1250/1250 → 1875/1875**

**STR: 82 → 120**

**VIT: 55 → 100**

**DEX: 108 → 140**

**INT: 50 → 75**

**WIS: 45 → 50**

**SPI: 39 → 50**

**LUK: 11 → 15**

**Synchro Effect: [Healing Plus Lvl 2]**

**Effect: Increases the effectiveness of all healing magic by 60% when within 40 ft. of a party member.**

**Stat Points: 155 → 0**

**Perk Points: 62**

**Description: The owner of the Kupo junk shop. She wasn't the one to pick the name, but still loves her store. She just wishes she would get more customers, something the store is sorely lacking.**

With the spell taking effect, what would have normally been an excruciating experience turned into a dull sensation of pins and needles. It was akin to waking up after falling asleep on your arm. The feeling wasn't terrible by any means, mainly just annoying.

Gengen shook like a wet dog to rid himself of the unpleasant feeling and Soiree landed softly on the ground to wait it out.

"I'm glad you two are okay," Sean said. "Biggs almost punched me the other morning when I did this and…" Sean blinked. "Wow. A lot of shit sure has happened in five days."

"Amazing!" Gengen shouted, tail wagging nonstop. "Me feel like whole new kobold! Thank you, stranger!"

"My name's Sean. How are you feeling, Soiree?"

Soiree cheerfully spun into the air. "Much better, kupo! I feel like I can take on the world."

"That's great because the flock's almost here and I'm going to aggro the whole group." He spoke with a straight face.

"Aggro?"

"He means he'll draw their attention, kupo!" Soiree raised her eyebrow at Sean. "I can tell we've gotten stronger, but are you sure you can handle this? There has to be 100 of them."

Sean shrugged. "I don't have much choice on the matter. Remora!" He addressed the fish. "I want you eight to go up there and attack the flight with thunder spells. Try to spread out your fire so they all head down here. We can't afford for any of them to reach town." The piranha flew off and he turned to his newest summon. "I want you four to wait here until the flock enters my firing range. Then go nuts. This'll be a frenzy." Sean grinned at the Bombs which they returned.

The young man inhaled and let it go right as Remora attacked the main force and retreated, getting the flock to give pursuit.

"And a bitch," he finished quietly.

**Quest Alert!**

**Flight of Fancy**

**A flock of monsters has suddenly appeared with its sight set on Norwich. Dispatch the hate-filled fiends before they carry out their aerial assault on the town.**

**Success: 50,000 Exp, 7000 Lucre, Increased Reputation, Bravery Spell Book, Candlelight Spell Book**

**Failure: Potential Death(s), Decreased Reputation with Norwich**

**Bonus: ?**

**Success: ?, ?**

**Failure: ?, ?**

**Elsewhere…**

"Spencer, report!" Boyd barked. "What in blue blazes is going on here!?"

The resident healer darted past the Inspector right as he exited his office. Boyd became too distracted by the rapid footsteps racing up and down the hallway to focus on his work. Officer Spencer, a newer recruit, followed hot on her heels and narrowly avoided running into the Inspector when Boyd blocked his path.

Spencer saluted the Inspector. "I apologize, sir, but there's a medical emergency down in the holding cells and I needed to get help as soon as possible."

"What kind of medical emergency, officer?" He puffed on his pipe. Inspector Boyd strode behind the medical examiner, the rookie walking step-by-step alongside him. "Did a fight break out amongst them? Were there any external wounds?"

Spencer shook his head. "No, sir. All I can tell is that one of them has fallen ill. I didn't wait around to see the symptoms, but their leader was insistent I bring help."

The severity of the situation was worse than the officer realized.

Several Chobin Hoods lie prone on the floor, suffering under a terrible affliction caused by an unknown toxin. The most common symptoms were high fevers and the chills, puffy red eyes and unfocused vision, and excessive drowsiness. A small percentage's breathing ran ragged, coughing hard enough to get sore throats and even expelling minute traces of blood.

The healer darted to and fro, tending to her patients to the extent her training allowed her. The budding mage was part of a work-study program from the Academy of Magic. Her inexperience kept her from identifying which poison was used on the tribesmen and how to cure it. In the end, the blonde-haired Kyantol could only ease their pain with the [Soothe] spell.

"This is terrible," Inspector Boyd commented. "How did this happen so quickly?"

"I'm sorry to say I don't know, sir."

At the back of the cell, the biggest Chobin Hood stood stoically, none of the symptoms having manifested themselves in his person. Past exposure to poisons left him with a strengthened immune system and powerful antibodies.

The only two others unaffected by the toxin were the muzzled brothers, both slumped against the wall next to each other, sporting black eyes. They'd been warned about their behavior and snickering at the pain of their fellow tribesmen was crossing the line.

"_Two days left till the Fifth Night. Not much time left, you three."_

**Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 9. I really wanted to get this chapter up earlier, but I had some trouble and I've been trying to keep track of all my ideas. The next chapter might be a stat sheet to help me remember all of Sean's and everyone else's skills and stats. I wanted to give a heads up.**

**While writing this story, I've also used the Suikoden 2 Walkthrough in the Let's Play Archives by Nephrite and the video game walkthroughs of Suikoden 2 and 3 by Master of Conquest on YouTube. They served as references for when I wrote certain characters since some of these games I haven't played in years. **

**Aside from Legend of Mana, there are currently characters present or mentioned in the story from 8 other video games. My two main worries while writing this chapter were my descriptions and repetition. In later chapters, I'll most likely forget some things and repeat lines of dialogue. And I don't want to be too specific in my descriptions. Certain characters just have many elements to their appearance.**

**I thank you readers for all of the faves, follows, reads, and reviews. I really appreciate it and I'm glad that people enjoy this story. Please leave a review.**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Mana or any other game series.

Chapter 9: Sound

**Rat Capital—Reverence**

**Day 4: Jinn Day: 7:23 PM**

The large cityscape sat within a foggy marshland. A stone rampart surrounded the capital with only two entries available to travelers: one via the front gates and the other by waterway. Dozens of lanterns marked the second route, guiding lost boats and their passengers into the capital's welcoming arms.

A clear dichotomy stood out even from a distance between the upper and lower classes. Shanty towns surrounded towering castle complexes which served as a symbol of the Rat Clan's pursuit of fortune and precious knowledge, oft times through unscrupulous means.

An underground tunnel system existed beneath the city of Reverence where once upon a time unsavory deals could be conducted more privately, away from the prying eyes of the authoritarians and other dangerous parties. Now, entry was barred under penalty of death, the manner in which it was carried out enough reason for even the most foolhardy to obey the law.

Enough light spilled into the tunnels during the daytime to lend a helping hand to wayward souls lost in the labyrinthine system, but it was a different beast at night.

A thunderclap boomed overhead, motivating sunlight stragglers to wrap up their business.

Notably, it was the black rats who were the most bothered by the change in weather, the sprinkling raindrops against the stony streets accompanying the pitter-patter of their bare feet. In contrast, the browns luxuriated in the torrential downpour, their eyes closed in content from the cool caress. The greys remained passive, unperturbed by the state of things, whereas the whites were rarely spotted.

Beneath the surface, the rising water churned angrily and roared its discontent like a primordial Lovecraftian horror, in sync with each thunder crack. The cosmic harbinger's wails reverberated off the passageway walls, adding a fresh level of terror that would scare off all but the bravest of souls.

Horatio fell in with this lot, knowing that to get ahead, one had to take risks.

He used his sensitive whiskers to find his way through the howling gloom. Chains and shackles rattled chillingly, a grim reminder of the past and a lesson to mind one's behavior while in the city. A musty scent pervaded these haunted halls, carrying the subtle stench of death and decay. The clammy atmosphere was unpleasant and the wet stones underfoot were slimy to the touch, similar to stepping in a pile of puke.

Horatio, dressed in a resplendent green vest, ignored this, far too focused on more serious matters.

The black rat sniffed the air and caught the faint aroma of cinnamon and lavender. He quickened his pace to elude his pursuer, yet his heart was calm. Horatio smiled and shook his head at what a fool this one was, finding pleasure in the scent of a woman despite being hunted. He might've laughed had his life not been at stake.

The rainstorm grew louder as he neared his exit. There was an underwater entrance he found in his exploration of the tunnels some time ago, a third entry into the capital that no one else know existed. It was a shared belief that all other entrances, aside from the main two, were sealed off after a particular past incident.

Horatio stopped and gazed down into the swirling abyss, the whispering maelstrom staring right back into his very being. He took a breath in preparation for the plunge and titled his head to the side to avoid a small digger whizzing past his face. Horatio turned around and eyed his would-be killer as she revealed her face to him, the lantern in her hand lit with a crackle.

"Ah, mon chère, such a pleasure it is to see you again." The suave black rat purred. He looked her over from head to toe, his deep, ruby red eyes welcoming her arrival. He smiled and stood upright, maintaining the posture of a true gentleman. "Beautiful as always, I see."

His pursuer was a brown rat, robed in red and black flowing garments tapered with a hooded cowl that allowed her head fur to flow from the back in a ponytail. She carried a double-edge swallow blade that could be split into two. A small red jewel was tied to the end of her tail. She set the lantern down and stepped forth.

"The Night Mother sends her regards," the shorter rat replied, ignoring Horatio's attempts at being charming. She maintained a neutral visage, but her sapphire blue eyes promised death.

"How is the fair lady? This one hopes she isn't too upset by his actions." He retorted, semi-mockingly. He stared directly into her eyes as she did his, knowing full well he would receive no response. A silence settled between them whilst the lantern's flames flickered, casting their shadows ominously onto the walls.

Zosha leapt at him with a one-handed handspring, the sharpened blade of her swallow aimed directly for his heart. Horatio kept his hands clasped behind his back and maintained his cool composure, exuding an air of confidence that not even the blind could miss.

Water rose from the gaps in the stone beneath her, but she cast an **[Aero]** at the liquid tendrils from her left palm to escape their reach. This action propelled her upwards into an aerial front flip. A whirlwind, Zosha's epithet, then formed around her as she descended towards him. The squally sphere would have no trouble getting rid of him, the razor sharp winds spinning so fast that they actually produced the sound of a buzz saw.

**[Hydro Shock]**

Zosha faltered as Horatio's spell produced a debilitating throb in her skull, reducing the speed of the sphere just enough for him to break through. She clenched her teeth and her vision blurred for only a moment. Horatio maintained a calm smile and raised his hand to take advantage of the opening.

An **[Aqua Beam]**, a jet of high-pressure water, shot from his pointer finger and punched her in the stomach. Tiny bubbles rose from the point of impact as she was sent flying from the sphere. The brown rat did a back flip and landed in a crouch, shaking her head and glaring daggers at Horatio once her vision stabilized.

He just continued smiling at her, irritating the assassin further. Horatio found that staying calm often angered others more than if he lost his composure and became infuriated right back.

"Stai bene, my dear? This one regrets the pain he caused, but his life is simply too precious to throw away, even for a beauty such as yourself." Horatio winked at her.

Zosha stood up and split her swallow into two daggers which were more like swords given her stature. Her clothes were drenched with liquid malice. "When did you have time to practice?"

Horatio was a social rat, no surprise given his species, who loved to hob-nob with the elites and the famed. The crème de la crème. Rather than skulk in darkened streets, Horatio made a point to make himself visible enough to create a false front so as not to draw attention to his other activities.

It was no wonder she was surprised with how often he was seen about.

"Perhaps we can discuss it some other day over a nice bottle of wine," Horatio responded. Streams of water floated forwards from the whirlpool and joined with the aqua from the floor, coalescing into a shimmering wall between them.

The smile slipped from his face when Zosha threw another dagger at him. He could sense the livid magic coursing through its sickly yellow engravings and promptly sent the water wall at her to prevent any harm to his person. The dagger exploded, blasting the wall apart and producing a force strong enough to shake the room, causing bits of stone to rain down from the ceiling.

Zosha slashed her dual blades, sending an X-shaped blade of air at him. The attack just missed the suave rat as he disappeared into the spinning pool and continued on into a tunnel wall, destroying it. Horatio made use of his tendrils to pull himself away from harm right before the dagger exploded.

Zosha stepped forward and stared down into the storm drain. Rather than pursue, the brown rat chose to return to the surface and inform the Night Mother of her failure.

"One way or another, I'll find you."

**With Horatio**

The black rat emerged from the surface of the water and hid in a group of reeds. He pushed them aside just enough to look out from his hiding place to check if the coast was clear. Dragonflies fluttered around him, enjoying a bountiful feast of pesky mosquitoes, and crickets chirped their nightly songs.

"Quite feisty, that one," Horatio commented, uninjured from the blast. He felt his vest to make sure the item was still secured and relief filled his person when he found it. Horatio let out a silent breath as he had been legitimately worried it had been lost in the vortex. _"Schierke would have this one's hide if he turned up empty-handed."_

He glanced briefly in the capital's direction, knowing he could never return lest he wanted a fool's death. Oddly enough, Horatio felt not a hint of regret and even snickered soundlessly at secret knowledge that he alone was privy to, though not for too much longer. He formed another air bubble around his head and submerged once more, propelling himself onwards with a jet of water from each hand.

It wouldn't be until early the next morning that he arrived in the next town over. Normally, his kind, black rats, would be incapable of such a feat as his people were not used to swimming nor conditioned to water at all. Learning of this racial trait from a young age, Horatio made it a point to become well-versed in all things aquatic to give himself an edge over his peers.

And it certainly helped him avoid monsters on the way to Two River City, his destination and meeting place with yet another lovely lady. Even more so at night, when the more dangerous and vicious monsters came out. Thankfully, his **[Sonar]** ability helped Horatio spot them before he got too close.

Two River was divided into three districts: Humans to the south, Kobolds (Dog-Type) to the north, and the Winged Horde sandwiched in the middle. A stone wall surrounded the entirety of the human district aside from the eastern and northern entrances. A long, wooden bridge standing at the latter entrance permitted travel over the first river to the Winged Horde district.

The Human District was a multi-leveled fusion of Chinese and Japanese culture with a splash of European thrown into the mix. Common fashion choices amongst the town's women were cheongsams while many of the men and boys elected to wear tang suits. Still others donned vests, blouses, and jeans, typical of Western clothing trends.

All of the streets were paved with grey stones of varying shades, cut in a rectangular pattern with steps leading between each level.

Aside from the inn, the rest of the first level was reserved for residences. Travelling higher to the second tier, one could find various shops dedicated to the sale and purchase of items, weapons, and runes. The third and final level was home to a single, large building which served as their government office.

All of the buildings' roofs were tiled with dark green kawara, traditional Japanese clay tiles, with the roofing style being known as kawara-yane. The seat of government was complemented by a hidden roof with four brown pillars to support it, two on either side of the main doors.

Horatio climbed out of the river and drew the water from his person back into the stream. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a golden watch. The timekeeper was enchanted to resist water, shown by the rune on its back.

"_Good. This one is still on time."_

The black rat entered the town proper and he could already feel the air of hostility. The guards stationed at the east gate gazed upon him in suspicion upon his passing and the townspeople either regarded him with apprehension or poorly hidden scowls. Any children in the vicinity were ushered away, their mothers treating Horatio like he was afflicted with the plague.

"Isn't it bad enough that we have to deal with those winged freaks without vermin around?" One person muttered derisively.

"Shh! He'll return to the sewers soon enough." Another ignorantly replied. He glanced at Horatio warily, but the black rat kept his head forward as if he hadn't heard anything.

"_C'est la vie."_ Horatio thought, disappointed and yet understanding of the ugliness of people.

The Rat Clan was the largest of Fa'Diel's races, often fighting for the top spot with the Rabbit Clan. Advancements within its ranks regularly dyed the hands red of much of its populace, finding themselves thriving in amoral undertakings such as murder, slavery, and The Underground, a primary supplier of the meat trade. This subsequently led to all rats being painted with the brush of the monster, the villain, and the thief.

Horatio would gladly admit to the last one, but there was a personal code he followed whenever he conducted business that condemned such abhorrent acts.

The rat carried on to the inn and was immediately pounced on by a white wolf-dog who wore a blue band around his left, front leg. The well-groomed dog started licking the rat's face, clearly excited to see him. Horatio put his hands out and did his best to push the friendly canine away.

"Ack! Get off! This one already took a dip in the river. He doesn't need a bath!"

"Shiro," Schierke addressed calmly, causing the aptly named dog to stop, his ears standing at attention. "Let Horatio up, please."

"Woof!"

Shiro stepped off the rat and Horatio stood up and wiped the drool from his face.

"Ciao, Schierke. Glimpsing such a wondrous sight brings warmth to this one's heart." Horatio placed his right hand over his heart, smiling at the female with eyes full of fondness.

"Were there any complications?" Schierke asked in Rat Speak from the corner table whence she sat, forgoing any pleasantries and cutting to the heart of the matter.

Rat Speak was a language spoken by Chobin Hoods, Rats, and similar species, consisting of words uttered at frequencies that most other races were incapable of understanding, let alone hearing. To those with weaker ears, the language sounded like a series of chirps and squeaks.

Horatio sighed, knowing it was time to face the music. "This one regrets to inform you that there was a, shall we say, small obstacle." He remained standing, too fixed in place to join her at the table.

"What happened?" Schierke asked in a non-accusatory tone.

"While acquiring the requested item, this one was unaware of just from whom he was stealing," Horatio replied nervously. "It was discovered that the shipment was purchased by none other than the Night Mother herself."

Schierke simply stared at him with a blank expression. In his eyes, that magnified the power of her gaze a thousand times over.

She left her seat and stopped in front of him, never once breaking eye contact. Horatio smiled awkwardly as the silence dragged on and went to open his mouth when Schierke reached up and grabbed him by the ear. The black rat hunched over and squeaked in pain.

"Careful, my dear, this one's ears are sensitive."

"Did you obtain any of the alloy?"

"Yes! Yes! It's underneath my vest," Horatio replied hurriedly. He reached for the pouch, but Schierke pushed his hand away.

"Hold onto it for now," she practically ordered, still not letting go. "We're going to have a long talk after this is all over." Schierke's tone was even the whole time, but there was no denying Horatio was in trouble.

She pulled him by the ear out of the inn with Shiro loyally treading after her. The Chobin Hood climbed onto Shiro's back and Horatio took his place behind her, quietly holding onto the female as the wolfdog took off for the Chobin Hood Village.

Now, these was only one piece left to go.

**In Norwich**

**Day 5: Dryad Day**

Bells clanged across town, resonating feelings of danger and fear to all within its range. The townspeople promptly ceased their clockwork activities and bustled on home, some choosing instead to seek shelter in the nearest establishments. Spilled groceries and discarded goods decorated the streets, dropped in the rush to safety.

Select individuals walked at a more sedate pace. They were so accustomed to life in Fa'Diel that learning of a monster attack was like hearing it would rain. Their faces were relaxed, certain of the fact that everything would be okay. One even had the gall to pick up a lone apple, polish it against his chest, and take a nice big, juicy bite.

This only served to piss off Inspector Boyd even more.

The mouse man barked orders left and right with steam coming out of his ears to get everyone inside. His officers rushed about in a mad scramble to fulfill them, hurrying the lazy loiterers along.

"Get moving! On the double!"

Every major town and settlement spread throughout Fa'Diel secured a method of keeping a lookout for monsters from within the towns themselves. This could be accomplished through more physical means, the use of a telescope enchanted with the **[Scan]** spell being one such method. Or, one could lean more towards the magical side and incorporate elemental properties.

There existed a spell that those proficient in Earth-elemental magic were capable of utilizing. It worked similar to a seismograph and detected tremors in the ground.

Norwich itself owned an alarm system. Scattered across town, bell stations were set up akin to blue-light phones found on college campuses that were used to contact campus police. Each was clearly marked with signs and made visible for fast reactions. All one needed to do was touch a single rune to activate any of them. The domino effect then occurred, resulting in all 20 bells being rung simultaneously.

Watchmen stationed at the clock tower spotted the flock prior to their arrival above the fields. Their immediate response was to sound the alarm and contact the Inspector, who sent a rookie to fetch Biggs while the rest of Boyd's men were told to grab Wedge if they saw him.

The entire force hadn't been deployed in the event anyone sought protection at the station, not to mention the developing situation with the poisoned Chobin Hoods that Spencer and the healer, Khris, were carefully monitoring.

"Major Biggs! The town is coming under attack! We need your help!" The junior officer called, banging on his superior's front door. He hustled over without delay and huffed in exertion from each blow, already sweaty because of the distance.

Biggs, who finally managed to fall asleep, grunted irritably and pulled his pillow over his head to block out the noise to no avail. He was way too tired to deal with this crap.

The racket swelled till Biggs' patience wore out. He clenched his teeth and angrily threw his covers aside, revealing his muscular build and choice of attire. Biggs' uniform was replaced by a sleeveless white shirt and a pair of black shorts. The Major rose from his bed with tightly squeezed fists and stomped up to his front door, ready to pummel this annoyance.

The rookie's gloved hand paused in the air once the door swung open and he saw his superior's current lack of dress. He awkwardly coughed into his fist and formally addressed the major, fighting hard to maintain eye contact in spite of Biggs' narrowed brown eyes. Biggs' strong jaw line and brown crew cut hair enhanced his masculinity.

"Sir, we need your help. The town is coming under attack."

Biggs glanced towards the sky and didn't spot anything. "Well where are they at, **officer**?"

"At the fields, sir." The rookie gulped audibly, losing the battle and casting his gaze downwards. The road suddenly became a lot more interesting.

"Then why the heck are you botherin' me for? Jack's got it covered." Biggs replied grumpily. "Now fuck off, will ya? I've been awake for over the past 24 hours and I'm tryin' to sleep here."

"But sir…" the rookie's voice trailed off as he took a trip to the land of Nod. Biggs grabbed a capsule right before opening the door and threw it in the junior officer's face when he realized he wasn't going to vamoose. The capsule popped open and covered his face in a cloud of blue powder, lulling him into a deep sleep.

The officer didn't have time to splutter as his body pitched forward. Biggs caught him one-handed to keep his face from meeting the ground and pulled the rookie inside and shut the door. Leaving the slumbering pest face down on his living room floor, Biggs returned to his bedroom and hit the sack.

The Major knew he would catch some flak for this later, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

At Wyld Arms, Duelle didn't miss the cacophonous din over Wylda's hammer strikes and looked towards the entrance with a thoughtful expression, wondering if he should offer any assistance. After about five seconds of careful contemplation, the onion warrior shrugged, deciding he wouldn't be much help without **[Gungnir]**.

He turned back to one of the displays and grabbed a buckler. Duelle waddled over to a mirror setup nearby and admired his appearance with a pleased smile.

"I'm sure the others have it handled." And that was all he had to say on the matter.

Not everyone chose to ignore the alarm, however, and the ringing resonated with a particular battle-hardened individual.

In The Wandering Specter, Leona was busying herself cleaning glasses when the pub suffered a light tremor, causing the patrons to seize up in alarm. Cutlery clattered discordantly around the room, joining in the chorus of hurried steps and rattling glass. Leona frowned as people scurried past the tavern and almost missed Shadow's departure.

Unperturbed by the emergency, the ninja and his faithful hound left to sort out the problem, leaving behind an empty plate of sirloin steak and white rice and the necessary payment. His consumption of the meal had been too fast for anyone to see, permitting no one to see the face behind the mask.

"Be careful out there Shadow," Leona said, unsurprised to receive no response. She knew he could take care of himself, but still felt worried. After all, she knew a broken man when she saw one.

Once the entrance shut, Leona reached underneath the counter and activated a rune. The door locked, emitting a loud click, and a transparent barrier wrapped around the pub, safeguarding the establishment against any and all harm. The patrons inside kept a close eye on the doors, their meals forgotten. Hands rested on pommels and sheaths in case things took a turn for the worse.

Those few who were unarmed stayed glued to their seats and glanced about worriedly, subconsciously hoping their more battle-minded fellows could protect them. Meanwhile, the warriors present remained impassive, knowing nothing would be accomplished by succumbing to fear. All they could do was wait out the storm.

**Sean POV**

He quickly checked his menu to make sure that Exp. Share was on while he still had the chance.

**Party System (Part 2): Experience Share**

**A game mechanic of the Party System sub-ability, Exp. Share allows all affected party members to gain experience from each kill. The amount of experience gained will scale to the person's current level and it doesn't matter whether the kill was done by the gamer or another individual. What does matter is the party member(s) level in relation to the user.**

**Exp. Share only works if the party member(s) is within 10 levels of the user. Vice versa, the gamer will gain no experience if a party member not within 10 levels of himself kills an enemy.**

"_That's pretty much what I expected."_

Sean stood rigid, his muscles taut yet breathing calm thanks to **[Gamer's Mind]**. He remained relatively composed despite the enemies' numbers, something unshared by the greener guards he just saved. They fidgeted in place with sweat rolling down their brows.

Their hands anxiously gripped their weapons till the whites of their knuckles showed, a sharp contrast to the larger majority who exhibited great fortitude in the face of the incoming storm. The more seasoned sentries simply stood on standby with their bows ready and faces a near perfect mask of impassiveness. Only the slight twitch of the hand or hitch in the breath revealed their inner turmoil.

"Thanks for the assist. Nodded off a moment there," a man's voice drawled calmly in a faint surfer dude accent, a hangover from an earlier day. "Things are getting pretty hairy. I'd take off if I was you."

The leader and veteran fighter was the one to address Sean, his countenance far removed from those of his men. His mellow smile strangely befitted his appearance while his hands busied themselves performing quick maintenance on a repeating crossbow, also known as a Zhuge crossbow or a Chu-ko-nu. A claymore found its home on his back and additional arrow cartridges were hooked to his belt.

His grizzled black hair was drawn back and formed into a short ponytail with loose bangs covering his forehead. Lightly worn leather armor sheltered his muscled form, scratches and bites along the material painting a history of battle. The most prominent was a bite mark on the left shoulder, massive and shark-like. None of this compared to the horizontal scar across the bridge of his nose. It only complemented the man's rugged looks.

His deceivingly loose stance welcomed anyone brave enough to face him. No trembling took residence in his person nor excitement nor anger. The experienced warrior's unflappable nature was a thing of admiration and many of those present wondered if they would reach that point themselves one day.

**Name: "Sweet Hickory" Jack**

**Race: ?**

**Title: ?**

**Age: ?**

**Level: ?**

**Description: The Captain of Norwich's Advance Guard in charge of protecting the town's perimeter and fields. He likes candy.**

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm not leaving. Not with the town in danger." Sean stated resolutely. Like with Domina, the consequences would be too heavy if anything bad happened to Norwich. "Besides, there's no point in running now anyways and…are you smoking a sugar cane?" Sean stared in bafflement.

"It helps take the edge off."

Clenched between his teeth, Jack puffed on a cut piece of sugar cane that had the hard outer layer removed. Sean initially mistook it for a cigar, but soon noticed the off-color and the fresh, earthy fragrance visibly clouding around Jack's head. His stormy grey eyes nearly faded into the pink smoke.

Sean snorted at the ridiculousness of it, but didn't comment. Plenty of eccentric folk inhabited Fa'Diel and aside from cases like Gilbert, it was a perfectly acceptable part of everyday life.

Jack's vision veered past him and landed on Soiree.

Her eyes were narrowed in concentration, sight locked on something that couldn't yet be seen. Something that didn't bode well for them. A chill ran up her spine as she recalled an incident from years ago where a Moogle settlement was attacked by an ill omen. No full description was ever given of the beast, but it was brought down by cannon fire after it managed to destroy two air ships.

The one detail that stuck out to her was a feeling of wrongness about it. Like a festering wound. Something that should never have come into being and whose very existence was a crime against nature itself.

A look of remembrance dawned on Jack's face and he snapped his fingers. Reaching into one of the pouches on his belt, Jack threw an item to Sean.

"Here, Catch!"

Sean shot up his right hand and immediately dropped the object, what was formerly a tiny white seed. A blinding green flash erupted from the pip when it touched his hand, sending a familiar jolt of energy up his arm and granting him the gift of pins and needles once more. Sean's lids slammed shut and he grimaced at the hated sensation, shaking out the affected appendage to get proper feeling back.

He looked down to the cause of his discomfort once he felt it was safe and his eyes widened minutely, slowly growing accustomed to the strangeness of this new world.

**[Rare][Summoning Sphere] Mandragora**

**Using this item gives the user access to the Mandragora summon. It's one of the more unusual summons, being a plant and sound-elemental hybrid.**

**Observe Lvl 15 → Lvl 16**

**For finding a rare item, you have gained +2 LUK.**

**LUK: 5 → 7**

Sean reached down and picked it up, hearing drums beating faintly from the leaf green orb.

"Huh. I didn't think I'd get another one of these so soon."

"Pretty rad. Not sure if I've ever seen that before."

Sean looked to Jack who still wore the same easygoing expression, not in the least affected by the seed's transformation.

"Thanks for the new summon." Sean said honestly, though he did place his hand at his side to show he wouldn't give the sphere up. "But why'd you give me this?"

"Is that what I did?" Jack replied as more of a statement than a question. He scratched the stubble on his cheek, skin tanned from exposure to the sun. "You must not be as magically attuned as your friend over there." Jack gestured to Soiree. "Not a surprise really. Moogles are one of the more gifted races when it comes to that mana stuff. It's a trait they all share from birth."

Jack grabbed more seeds from his belt and scattered them around. They swiftly sank into the earth, an action that visibly eased some of the guards judging by the loosening of their postures.

Sean raised an eyebrow in intrigue as Soiree gripped her war hammer tightly and suffused it with a pink radiance. The magnificent aura spread from the head of her weapon to the rest of her body in seconds, the moogle's face determined and showing not even a hint of strain. Making use of 'observe,' Sean learned of yet another game mechanic that would certainly prove fruitful in the future.

**[Rare][Soul Weapon] Mediator [2H War Hammer] Lvl 5 Durability: 1000/1000**

**A Soul Weapon forged by ?, this war hammer was gifted to Soiree upon her departure from the Moogle capital. It is half of a set, the twin hammer going to her sister to represent their bond as siblings no matter the distance between them.**

**Attack: +100 (Mana Enhanced: +300) Total: +400**

**Decreases Technique Cost by 25%**

**Decreases Spell Cost by 25%**

**Special Effect: Attack Strength of both Mediator and Arbiter and all of their wielders' stats double when fighting together.**

**Soul Weapons**

**Soul Weapons are fittingly named since they represent not only a link to the wielder's soul, but are also soul bound. This means that no one else aside from the original user can wield them. Soul Weapons are different from regular ones in that they can grow alongside their wielder either through use in battle or through special blacksmithing techniques. These weapons don't rely on normal tempering methods to improve themselves.**

**Soiree (Mana Enhanced):**

**HP: (Base: 2500/2500) 7500/7500**

**TP: (Base: 6500/6500) 19500/19500**

**MP: (Base: 1575/1875) 5325/5625**

**STR: 120 → 360**

**VIT: 100 → 300**

**DEX: 140 → 420**

**INT: 75 → 225**

**WIS: 50 → 150**

**SPI: 50 → 150**

**LUK: 15 → 45**

Sean hummed and nodded his head. _"That's interesting."_ The implications of Soiree's ability were staggering and would require careful reflection later. His battle with Du'Inke left him pondering if there was a similar method of increasing one's stats involving Tech Points.

Sean then cast **[Protect]** on Soiree which formed a translucent white barrier around the moogle that vanished shortly after. She gave him a smile and thankful nod, her red pom-pom bobbing happily. Sean tried to cast it on himself, but an alarming sound caught him off guard, disrupting the spell.

**Protect Lvl 7 → Lvl 8**

A growl rumbled within Gengen's chest and he bared his teeth in a snarl, his ears pulled back and his tail down. He gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his claws threatened to tear his red gloves to shreds. Forest green eyes drilled wrathfully into a bare spot of soil, the nearby produce swaying in a light breeze as if shaking in terror at Gengen's new demeanor.

This change in attitude drew the attention of the guards, a few inwardly mocking the kobold and rolling their eyes at his presumed naivety whereas others spared a wary glance. Jack heard the sound and carried on dutifully with his task, exhibiting no reaction. Whatever happened came as no surprise to any of them, like no other outcome was expected.

Sean, admittedly, hadn't known the kobold for long, but was still taken aback by this uncharacteristic behavior and looked at Soiree with a bewildered expression.

"What the heck got into him?"

"It's those flowers, kupo!" Soiree answered. She flew over to Gengen and he glared at her when she got too close. Sean watched cautiously, ready to jump into action in case things turned south. He honestly thought the kobold would bite her, but didn't voice his concerns since Soiree displayed no hesitation in approaching him. She cast **[Scent]** to rid the party of the hidden odor and replaced it with the salubrious scent of a tropical paradise.

Pineapple, lime, and mango danced together in a fruity medley while Soiree started scratching Gengen behind the ears. The kobold's growling slowly subsided and he closed his mouth, tail wagging in delight as she combed her hands gently through his fur. He leaned into her touch, seeking more attention while his leg started to twitch, threatening to kick like a dog.

Soiree giggled at him and Sean smiled, his face filled with mirth.

When she moved her soft, pink hands away, Gengen blinked in stupefaction and shook his head, wiping away the content expression.

"What happen? Last thing Gengen remembers is funny smell." He asked with a puzzled look.

"I'm curious myself because I don't see any flowers anywhere." Sean said.

"They're still in the ground, kupo!" Soiree responded. "They're called 'Lurking Venus.'"

"Hey, guy!" Jack called, standing once more next to his men. "I'd activate the seed now or whatever that ball is. Don't want to be caught with your pants down."

"I'd follow his advice, kupo! Something isn't right in there." Soiree pointed at the flock who were just about close enough to attack, worry coloring her tone.

"Gengen doesn't smell anything over fruits."

"Better to err on the side of caution." Sean replied, keeping his cool. "The other monsters must be shielding something awful." He gripped the orb, causing it to activate.

The globe opened slowly like a music box and released the mixed essence of jasmine and lily. Pleasing aroma instilling a false sense of security, tremors beset the sphere and Sean wrestled to keep it in his grip, his flexed muscles pouring all their strength into it. Curses escaped through his clenched teeth while he struggled and stubbornly refused to let go. He may have insulted its mother.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the shaking abruptly stopped and the sphere ejected five large white seeds.

Floating gently down, the seeds buried themselves in the dirt and sprouted, two green leaves growing from either side of the stalks. A wave of nostalgia swept over Sean and he plucked all five with a hearty effort, all the while thinking of a certain series which started on the GameCube.

The onion people regarded Sean with open curiosity, tilting their bulbous heads in child-like wonder.

Short green legs with flat feet grew from their "knees," no toes on them. Their faces were just a black oval area with two featureless, circular white eyes on the inside. Green clothing covered their faces just underneath their eyes down to the upper chest and all of their arms. Red strings traveled down the middle of the material, crossing over each other to form three X's.

Aside from the aforementioned areas, their bodies were entirely white.

The sphere in his hand closed and shot into the air without warning, easily prying itself from his fingers. It burst above Sean like a balloon and rained down multicolored confetti on him, accompanied by a celebratory ditty.

**New Summon Gained! Pact Formed!**

**Mandragora [Plant/Sound] Cost: 100 MP Cooldown: 30 Minutes (Upon Defeat)**

**Link: Lvl 1 Next Level: 0/50 AP**

**Standing: 0/1000**

**HP: 3,750/3,750 (750 HP Each)**

**TP: 0/0**

**MP: 3,750/3,750 (750 MP Each)**

**STR: 10**

**VIT: 30**

**DEX: 70**

**INT: 30**

**WIS: 20**

**SPI: 20**

**LUK: 2**

**Overdrive: [Echo Chamber]—Echo Chamber is an ability where an invisible soundproof field is created around the enemy. A cacophonous collection of soundwaves then bombard the enemy, pummeling them with physical force and growing stronger with each reverberation as they bounce around the field. DMG Formula: (SPI + (SPI * 300%)) **

**Summon Effect: +50 Plant Affinity (Passive)**

**Summon Effect: +50 Sound Affinity (Passive)**

**Summon Effect: Grants the user +1 WIS every time the summon or user levels up**

**Description: Sometimes called "Onion Children," Mandragora are a sentient species of plant who use an advanced form of non-verbal communication to 'speak' to one another and love to play pranks and cause mischief. Known for their deadly screams, these diminutive seedkin boast a rich culture, creating their own homes and clothing. **

"Glad it wasn't as bad as the first two," Sean commented idly, picking paper from his hair.

He heard clapping and turned to see Jack's applause. None of his men clapped, looking decidedly unenthused about the sentient plants who came up to mid-thigh of Sean's height, making them just a little shorter than Duelle. Sean supposed living in a world of fantasy zapped their fascination, probably having seen Jack summon plants a million times.

"That was a neat little show," Jack commented in a good-humored way. "Should help with morale." He looked down at Mandragora in intrigue. "Those little guys usually don't look that way either. Nor get that big."

The captain pulled out another seed and fed it some magic. The flat, green seed popped, transforming into a whitish, root-like creature within a cloudy veil. The mandrake wriggled helplessly in Jack's softened grip like a newborn getting fussy at mealtime. Jack held it around the middle as it babbled intermittently from its eyeless face, the man using his magical signature to keep the plant calm.

Seeing the creature conjured up thoughts of the Uncanny Valley, a source of disturbance and distress for some. It was the reason why many horror video games and films used mannequins to scare people.

"Uh, captain," one guard spoke up patiently to pull Jack back on track. His neutral tone and expression conveyed a subtle annoyance. "Shouldn't we be focused on that?" He pointed towards the aerial horde.

Jack followed his finger. "Oh, yeah," he replied tranquilly, not embarrassed about zoning out.

"Men," Jack addressed calmly, his subordinates instantly standing at attention and ready to take orders despite his recent gaffe. His grey eyes swept placidly over them. "Form up and be ready to fire on my command. Those of you not yet accustomed to the bow move up front."

Despite the man's chill expression, there was a presence about him that compelled the defenders to mobilize. The fresher faces followed orders and positioned themselves at the front of the pack to avoid friendly fire, everyone nocking their arrows.

"Just a quick head's up," Sean said, catching everyone's attention. "If you can, take out those one-eyed creatures immediately. They have a special ability that can—"

"Cause people to become **[Confused]** or nod off," Jack finished. "No worries. This isn't my first rodeo."

Jack raised his crossbow while looking Sean straight in the eye and fired it one-handed, something Sean didn't know was possible. The bolt punched into the eye of one of the monsters with a wet squelch, meeting no resistance. It was dead before it could blink and the corpse plummeted towards the fields.

Sean frowned as the body honed in on a blue ribbon-worthy pumpkin. He could already hear the townspeople whining at them for destroying their fields. Not to mention the loss in reputation.

His worries were for naught.

The earth shook and like a jack-in-the-box, an enormous green stalk sprang out of the ground with a massive Venus fly trap at the top. Corrosive enzymes lied in special glands in its maw, ready to gather the plant rich nutrients. The mouth hung slightly ajar and its steel-trap-shaped leaves, behind which rested razor-sharp teeth, were primed for a meal.

The carnivorous plant sensed food approaching and it snapped up and gulped down the corpse without issue. Sean stood transfixed and watched the lump travel down the stem, growing smaller and smaller as the acid broke it down. He huffed awkwardly and was glad he wasn't going up against that thing, easily large enough to swallow him whole and standing more than 30 feet tall.

The others shared the same sense of trepidation. Having spent time around Jack, the feeling was lessened. However, there was just no getting use to some things. Soiree watched calmly from where she flapped with a straight face. She's encountered far worse and scarier creatures in the past.

Gengen put up a brave front and held his unnamed sword aloft, the blade glinting proudly. A true warrior never showed they were scared on a battlefield and this kobold wouldn't let some plant steer him from his path. With his newly acquired weapon, one purchased at fair cost from a red fox, Gengen swore he would see himself and his allies safely through this ordeal.

A sudden thought occurred to Sean and he smirked at the non sequitur.

"_I wonder if he's ever read 'Jack and the Beanstalk.'"_

The flapping of wings drew him back to reality and he saw that the flock were now around 30 yards away. The monsters were visibly incensed, the loud buzz of insectoids reminiscent of a kicked beehive. And the Lurking Venus plants drove them further into a blind rage.

**Lurking Venus –Plant—**

**Level: ?**

**STR: ?**

**WK: ?**

**Description: A giant version of the Venus flytrap, this plant lies in wait for its prey. Rather than release a pleasing aroma or use sweet-smelling nectar, the Lurking Venus emits a foul odor that's scentless to most species, inducing the [Berserk] status effect in any monster or susceptible race within the vicinity. This will drive the affected party to destroy the source at any and all costs. Those with a strong enough will can resist the odor though a more powerful, liquid version does exist.**

"Remora! Break off and return to me!" Sean called, equipping **[Frozen Fury] **while giving commands. His inner child brimmed with happiness and his chest swelled with nostalgia at the chance to be like a Pokémon trainer. "Bomb! Fly into—" He started only to notice they had already gone on ahead, their battle lust too great to be contained.

Both sides met head-on, the cackling fire grinning maliciously and producing heat strong enough to reach refraction, causing the air to visibly wave. Wildfire consumed the first foe and left behind a cloud of light particles as it spread to the next.

The smell of cooked meat intensified, wafting far enough to reach the town from the impromptu barbeque. Like the Vikings of old, the blitzing berserkers flew towards the Bombs with reckless abandon, not in the least concerned about their own welfare. Tender flesh grew dark and curled, cracking and popping like firewood while chitin hissed like a boiled lobster.

Where once the size of beach balls, the Bombs ballooned to that of Zorbs, fueled by the sweltering rage swirling about in abundance. It was basically an all-you-can-eat buffet to them and they continued to grow while hardly taking any damage. Still, teeth gnashed and mouths screeched, clawing and biting and stabbing at the living explosives in futility.

**[Town Defender] Title Activated!**

**Sean:**

**HP: (Base: 1250/1250) 1975/1975**

**TP: (Base: 3325/3325) 5635/5635**

**MP: (Base: 1000/1000) 1500/1500**

**STR: 61 + (33%) + (25%) + (25%) = 111.6**

**VIT: 50 + (33%) + (25%) = 79**

**DEX: 72 + (33%) + (25%) = 113.8**

**INT: 40 + (20%) + (5%) + (25%) = 60**

**WIS: 40 + (20%) + (5%) + (25%) = 60**

**SPI: 56 + (20%) + (25%) + (5%) + (25%) = 98**

**LUK: 7 + (25%) = 8.75**

**[Might of the Kobolds Lvl 1] Synchro Effect Activated!**

**Gengen:**

**HP: (Base: 1075/1075) 1290/1290**

**TP: (Base: 3000/3000) 3600/3600**

**MP: (Base: 175/175) 210/210**

**STR: 60 + (20%) = 72**

**VIT: 43 + (20%) = 51.6**

**DEX: 60 + (20%) = 72**

**INT: 7 + (20%) = 8.4**

**WIS: 8 + (20%) = 9.6**

**SPI: 7 + (20%) = 8.4**

**LUK: 5 + (20%) = 6**

"Just do whatever you want, I guess," Sean said bitterly, upset that Bomb didn't wait for his command. He understood that not every summon would listen to him with complete obedience and wasn't too surprised that Bomb did what it did, but that shit wasn't going to fly and Sean would have to nip it in the bud soon.

Those with weaker constitutions blanched at the vision of horror, growing green at the gills while bile rose in their throats. They covered their mouths to keep their collective breakfasts down, ready to turn their heads away at the overwhelming affront to their gazes.

"Don't," Jack said with some bite, cutting down any idea of carrying through. "This is just a part of the job." He blew out a large cloud of smoke, the sugary scent alleviating their distress. "What you signed up for as guards."

Outnumbered by their seasoned compatriots, the rookies were made to watch, to adapt them to the colder realities of this world.

"Remora," Sean called irritably, seeing a Lurking Venus swallow another enemy, thus stealing his experience. "Work together and focus **[Thunder]** on any monster you see falling. Avoid hitting any plants."

The towering devourers only appeared when an enemy got within a certain range and they sunk back down into the earth just as swiftly. Ten flytraps made themselves known, staying out to consume the lot if more than one monster pinged on their radar. Sean felt more disconcerted upon noting the plants were fire-retardant, taking no damage from Bombs' flames.

Both they and the fire summons devoured the monsters in what quickly became the world's most macabre game of Pac-Man. The fly traps gobbled up more, taking full advantage of their size while Remora managed to kill a few with potshots. Mandragora huddled around Sean's legs and concentrated on the same spot where Jack was looking.

Gengen and Soiree were reduced to bystanders, the moogle quietly lowering her weapon yet remaining ready to act at a moment's notice. The kobold itched to lend a hand and felt vexed since his blade couldn't reach the enemy no matter how boundless his energy was.

Jack remained impassive as a couple Lurking Venus ripped a floating eye in two while playing tug of war. His eyes were on the prize. Sean flinched in disgust, but didn't avert his gaze. Seeing something in real-life was far different from his time surfing the net.

**Enemy Slain! Floating Eye Lvl 14 (x12)! Nebiros Lvl 15 (x10)!**

**+60644 EXP**

**Level Up!**

**Sean Rent: Lvl 15 → Lvl 16**

**+5 Stat Points and +2 Perk Points**

**Gengen: Lvl 12 → Lvl 14**

**Remora: Lvl 5 → Lvl 6**

**Bomb: Lvl 2 → Lvl 5**

**Mandragora: Lvl 1 → Lvl 4**

**SPI: 56 → 58**

**STR: 61 → 65**

**WIS: 40 → 44**

"Let 'em fly!" Jack called, his subordinates releasing their arrows into the flight. The captain didn't fire any himself, intending to wait for the right moment, but he did start aiming his crossbow.

Steel tips put out eyes and perforated wings, tearing them to shreds. Insects turned into pin cushions and the Bombs expanded even more, making consumption an effortless chore. Any contacting arrows launched simply bounced off the Venus' stalks and were ignored, like an ant against a giant.

Sean briskly cast his eyes over them and found most of the bevy fell in the **40 to 60 STR** range with around the same in **DEX**. This brought them near Gengen's stats with the highest level amongst them being **Level 10**.

**Observe Lvl 16 → Lvl 18**

**Lvl 18: The user can now see what items can be stolen or dropped from a monster or enemy.**

"Me confused," Gengen said, tilting his head. "How come there no boom?"

Through his gaming experience, Sean was aware of Bombs' elemental nature and knew that ordinary physical attacks wouldn't do much to them. The same thing applied to other typical video game monsters such as slimes. This was the reason why he meant to send them into the flock without fear.

**For taking advantage of a strength, you have gained +2 INT and +2 WIS.**

**INT: 40 → 42**

**WIS: 44 → 46**

"That's a good question," Sean replied, remembering how in the Final Fantasy series, three hits would cause them to detonate. "My guess is that—"

"There you are." Jack fired.

**BOOM!**

A loud, agonized squawk resounded across the fields, immediately followed by a deafening explosion of sound that travelled in every direction. The raging resonance vaporized monsters instantly with no survivors, both Bombs and the fly traps meeting the same end. Pumpkins exploded like fireworks and tomatoes turned into ketchup as the very air and earth quaked violently.

Jack raised the mandrake in his hand with a stoic expression, showing no fear in the face of this power.

The infantile root released a grating wail which weakened the wave of force enough to protect Jack and his men, their hearing and health intact. Although a few sentries were thrown to the ground, grunting in mild discomfort when their backs made impact.

Meanwhile, Mandragora stood protectively in front of their leader and stridently screamed to stop the attack, the plants' ability doing no harm to the party. The two forces met much more destructively than with the mandrake, creating an ear-piercing clap that kicked up clods of dirt. Mandragora was clearly being overpowered as they dug their little feet into the earth, struggling with all their might. The volume increased and looming noise inched perilously closer with each passing second.

Gengen hunched over and whined pitifully with his ears flattened, the sound becoming too much for his sensitive hearing. He covered them desperately to block out the attack and neither Sean nor Soiree were doing much better, both grimacing in pain. Nothing in the moogle's arsenal would help in this situation and Sean nearly paused reality to reload a previous save when something unexpected happened.

Remora formed a sphere of crystal clear blue water around Mandragora and the party that refracted the sound, attenuating it as it split harmlessly in separate directions. None of the plants were screaming anymore with the danger passed and Sean blinked in surprise, turning to Remora in astonishment.

"Why didn't you do that before?" He tried not to sound angry. Remora simply floated in place, unblinking, and Sean exhaled, not sure what he was expecting since the fish weren't capable of giving a response.

"The important thing is that we're all okay, kupo!" Soiree stated positively as she cast **[Soothe]** on Gengen to relieve his pain. The kobold stood upright and rubbed his ears.

"Thank you, my lady," Gengen said pleasantly, bowing his head in gratitude. "I'm not sure what me do without you."

Soiree smiled warmly at the kobold. "It's no trouble at all, kupo!"

"Yeah, I guess your ri—Oh, shit! What about the town?!" Sean's eyes widened in panic, struck by images of carnage and destruction. His intense gaze tried to punch a hole in the sphere and when that failed, Sean took a deep breath and stuck his head in the water, not enough to break through to the other side, but enough to give him a good vantage point.

**Breath Control Lvl 9 → Lvl 10**

Sean felt relief when he saw everything was okay.

"_Well, minus the fields which are torn to shit."_

The earth had been torn asunder, uprooting all the farmers' hard work and practically all the produce was destroyed, leaving only some potatoes and corn left to salvage. Even the tool shed Sean repaired was blown to smithereens, farming equipment thrown about haphazardly. He wondered if **[Repair]** was strong enough to rebuild the structure, but couldn't concentrate too much on it, over the fact the town was untouched.

Not a single building lie knocked down and no damage was dealt, every business and home just as intact as when Sean first arrived. Shattered glass remained absent from the streets and not even a speck of paint was chipped off the properties. Sean squinted his eyes in puzzlement, searching for the cause of this without any luck.

He could almost hear "why couldn't you save our fields" as he pulled his head out, not caring that his shirtless torso was wet. Sean smirked about how pissed off some of them will be, picturing pitchforks and torches till he shook the stray thought off. He didn't find the devastation funny, but he felt his reaction appropriate considering they just survived a near-death experience.

Sean quickly wiped the smirk off his face to avoid upsetting his party members and turned his attention to more important things, such as his new notification.

**Sonic Boom [Blue Magic][Sound] (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 100 MP**

**Learned from Stratoavis, this spell shoots a blast of pure sound from the user's hand which produces a loud explosion upon impact similar to the sonic boom of a jet. Mastery of this spell can increase sound affinity. It can potentially deafen the target.**

**Deals sound-based damage according to this formula: Total = (SPI + Sound Affinity)**

**DMG = Total + (Total * 10%)**

**Current Level: +10% Sound Damage**

**Effect: Has 1% chance to inflict [Confused] status effect**

**Effect: Has 1% chance to inflict [Bleed] status effect**

**Effect: Has 1% chance to inflict [Sap] status effect**

"_That's cool, but how the fuck is the town still standing?"_

"Is everything okay out there, kupo!"

"Everything's fine." Sean gave her a thumbs up. "…except the fields which are going to need a lot of work," he finished after a short pause, dropping his hand.

Moments prior, Shadow appeared at the edge of town with Interceptor in tow. The silent soldier for hire surveyed the unfolding massacre with a keen eye, unruffled by the far familiar sight. Interceptor sat on his haunches while his master watched Jack closely. Shadow's investment in Norwich's safety only went so far the amount he was paid, the taciturn man caring little for the lives held within.

Jack then fired his Chu-ko-nu, the air whistling from the bolt's force. Through the fire and flames it carried on, unimpeded by snapping jaws and buzzing wings till it sank into the heart of the aerial force. The resultant sonic boom shook the earth furiously as it approached the town with neither man nor hound trembling under its might.

Shadow placed his arms forward with his palms facing the attack and let it splash harmlessly off them, his stance rock solid and his eyes showing no emotion. Only a hushed whistle remained, swiftly drowned out by unseeable shade.

The arrow Jack fired struck the flying monstrosity in the eye, blood and ocular fluid draining like a faucet from its hideous face.

A soulless white eye exuded more malevolence than imagined possible, the remaining optical organ being little more than a milky marble. Fangs bared savagely from its beakless face with a long, red tongue poking out in an ominous manner. The visible white veins on the inside of its black wings glowed brighter with surging energy, small patches of blue intermixed with the lighter plumage.

Staring down at those who dared to stand against it, **[Stratoavis]** puffed up its white-feathered breast and pulled back its wings for another sonic boom.

Serious when the situation called for it, numerous green, leafy vines sprang upwards, undamaged from the earlier attack. Jack didn't just stand around and he removed the claymore off his back as the vines wrapped around the bird's limbs and long, red neck. Being dragged downwards, the monstrosity struggled with all its might, throwing its head to and fro while wildly snapping its teeth, shrieking violently. The white flowers situated along the vine carried out their work and released the smell of fresh rain, slowly inducing **[Sleep]** into their captive.

Stratoavis pointed its mouth downwards as Remora removed the water shield from around the party. Rumbling mana built up in its throat that gave off the sound of thunder. The vines around its neck tightened at Jack's silent command, choking the beast slowly, but doing little to stop it. He stood with his sword drawn in a two-handed grip, ready to bat the strike away while his men looked on nervously, everyone unequipping their bows as they realized they were now rendered useless.

Next thing anyone knew, the beast's severed head struck the ground with a loud thud, its mouth agape and wrath so great that the glare never left it.

Shadow used an ability of his to return the Fuma Shuriken to his hand, the five-pointed throwing star completely free of any blood. The ninja vanished it off to somewhere, but Shadow retained his position at the edge of town. A recent trend of monsters coming back from the dead enhanced his wisdom.

"That was something." Sean rubbed the top of a mandragora's head, much to the seedkin's delight.

"Me didn't get a chance to help," Gengen complained from having the wind taken out of his sails.

"There will always be more battles," Soiree said. "As terrible as that is."

Gengen nodded. "Aye, my lady. This world is indeed fraught with danger."

"At least the fight's ov—" Sean fell silent, hit by something incomprehensible, heavy like the weight of a truck. Darkness stole his vision and his body froze, no longer able to move. Gengen caught him under the arms when Sean lost his balance. His face pressed into the kobold's right shoulder.

**Error Detected!**

[̴̛̞̟̮̥̰͈͚̝̯̮̞̰̐̊̌͌G̷͍̀͗̆̎͆̑̉͗͘ã̷̧̢̤̱͕̳̪͚̺͈̫̓͂ͅm̴̗̝̍̀̑̎͂̉͂̎͗͊̚͠ę̵͖̮̩̫̙͙̻̳̻̪̭̠̒̇͂̊̋̓͑̇͒̇͒͝ȑ̴̗͈̪̽̌̉̓̆̅͛̕͝͝͝ͅ'̵̤̯̦͍̟̍̀͜s̷̡͚̰̤̥̼̰̎̈́͑͒̅̆ ̴̛̹͔̈́͑̆̊͌̎͆͌̀̋̕̕͝M̸̼̀̑̓͆͆́̉̚͘ḭ̷̛̫̪͍͓̼͍̤͉̭͛ņ̸̩͉̠̠̱̂͐̇͗̔̂̌̃̃͘ḑ̸̛͚̺̺̣͔̙͍̭̝͚̦̒͂̂̆̌̓̆́ ̴̺̩̭͓͐̓̔̄͐̄̂͗͛̀́̋̿̐̇a̴͚̳̥͌̋̇̅̑̃͒̔̆̈́̉́͜f̵̨͚͇̩̥̤͋͛́͗̍͗̽̈̒͋̚͠f̴͈͉͎̖́̑̏̓̓̏̽̽͂̽̽̈̀͘͝e̴̡͉̱̩̜͔͙̾̿̈́͝ḉ̵̮̟̜̠̤̱͑t̴̮͐̄̃̅̂͊̾͛͐͋̎͜͠͠͝e̴̖͕̟͎̰̺̊̈́̈d̴̝̥̳̦͓̯͕̩̩̬̼̯̀̐̈́̇̍͑̊̃͑͆ ̷̳̰͍͙͚̳͕͔̹̜͐̃͂b̷̧̪̥͕͎͇̻̟͎̭͚͓̙̦̏͛̀́̋̈̂̋̆̌̉́̈́̄̔y̶̺̜̯̿͂̎͆̽͆͌̇̑̊͋͗̽͜ͅ ̸̢̰̳̪̯̝̮̤̎ͅ?̴̤̉̀̀̊̊̀̚̕̕̚͠!̷̢̢̟̠͚̥̰͍̭̬͓̮̦̀̌́̋̅̈́̿̽͘͠/̷͊̓́̍͜͠*̵̮͈̽̇̊̉̇̈́̿̄̆̂!̶͖̔̎̅̏̕͠͝]̴̜̯̱̻̦̮̼̃̈̅̇̕

[̷̢̡̗̮͙̰̙̬͎̇̾̇̔G̶̨̢̥̭̬̭̺͇̳͈̮͂͐̏̒͗͐͋̀̀̑̔̏̄͝a̵̩̗͙̯̻̱͉̳͉͎̟̓̔͆͐͂̂͌̆͐̇̈́̓̄̕m̶̹̦͈̥̫̣̗̩͙͚̠̝̼͆̇́͗̾e̴͖͓̱̤̰̯̥͆ŗ̵͇̭̭̻̟̤̰͉̗̖͊͘'̸̧͔̗̦͉͙̻̰̖̤̅̏ͅͅş̴̡͎̯̅͂̐̌̃́̾́͋̚͘͝ ̵̨̠̤̯͍͍̙̮̻̥̾̇̊̽͋̀͒̎̏̂̐B̶̢̨͔͙̞̱͇͉͇̤͙͌̅̿̆̐̽ő̷̢̧̻̯̮̳͇̗̳͗̎̄d̷̰̱͍̓̈́̀̎y̸̢̮̠̩̺̻͚͈̦̤̱̻̖͋̄̂ ̶̡̩̭͇̼̤̪̣̲͓̊̃̂́́̿̈́̏̾̀̕͠a̷̛̛͈͓̻̗͎͎̪̽̀̎̇̔͘͝͝f̵̧͇̘̙̟̖̫̰̹̰̱̲̖͖̱̿̄̑͊ḟ̶̢̛͙̱̅̍̍̆͊̂̈́̈́̇̽͋͘ę̴̧̖̣̠̳̗̹͎͕̦͎͚̘̾̾̓͘c̴̡̨̧͖͙̫̪̗̗͍͓̳̫̻̓͆͂̏̿̆̔͑̓̈́̌͗̚͜͝t̶̢̡͙͚̬͙̩̬͇̯̹́̽̑̐̿̿̽͜͠é̶̢͇̥̘̗d̷̡̞̗͉͖̤̺̋̌̏̓̔̀̆̃͊̾ ̶̬̙̔͋̍̍̕̚͝b̵̧̢̛͙͚̦̲̱͚̌̅̌̍̒̀̕̚͝͝ỷ̵̥͂̽͋̉̐̓̑̈́́̚͠ ̴̧̱͖̩͔̙̱̖͚̯͔̦͋?̵̛̼̭̤͎̥͇̤͒̐̅͂͋̚͝͝!̵̥̣̮͕̼͇̗͑͒̿̒̊͑̃͌̓͠ͅͅ/̸̨̢̜̫̰̯̺̬̰̥̔̊̎̈́̊͐͛̈́͘͜͝*̵̧̮̥͎͈̯̖̿͗͛̄̄͆̄̉̈́!̸̫̞͖͔̪̜̬̝̼̹̐̓͂͆͌̋̈́̂̇̔́̚͝]̷̧̨̘̖̖̮̺͕̫̼̾̈́̓̍͐͋̓͋͝ͅ

P̸͕̹̥̄͐̏̍́̂͠a̵̛̼̪̝̭̗̞̩͈̥͎̮̞̗̅̆̓̀̅̍̋͒̈̍̓͘̕͝ͅr̷̦̲̘̗̘̐̓̿̌ţ̷̡̡̜̙̠̹̩̤̫̼̜̹̳̈̅ͅȳ̷͙̫̟̗͍͖͉̬̟̓̋̽̈́̈́̍̂̊͘̕ ̷̢̧̺̻̥̼͓̣̤̟̼̳͓͇̑̎͐̌͑̊̽̈́͒̈́̌͘͠D̸͓̼̻̿̊̋͒̄̈́͠ͅi̵̧̛̛̙͚̳͓͍̻̫͇̅̈́͗̈́͛̽͐̈̕ͅs̷̫͔̗̔͐̓͌̅ḇ̷̧̧̨̙̩̥̫̻̀̈́̄̚ͅà̴̡̫̱̲̹̞̙̺̚n̶̢̟̭̺̦̹̲̪̯̻̰̮̔̿̄͜ḓ̴̝̻̘̀ē̴̡̗̘̼̯̅d̸̡͈̗͙̘̜͔̬̼̾͂̀͐͌̑̒̊!̵͎̯͖̭̯͍͉͔̰͌̄̎̎̑̃͐̌̅͘̚͜

Ŕ̷̩͔͇̲͊̇̈̈́̑̀̾͐̔e̶͔͕̬͚̼̒̆́̂͋̉͆̾̾̿̋̇̀̒͝p̸͖̞͗ằ̶̡̨̢̛͚̘̠͉̪̟͖̜̱̱̙́̊̄̐̀̔̓́͆͘ỉ̷̡͚͓͓̲͈͉͙̗̅̔͗̔̀̔̀̿̿̆͐̀͒̕ͅͅŕ̴̡̛̖̭̽͑͊̈́̂͗͝i̶̢̛͕̱̣̮̾̿̍͛̊̃̉́̈̉n̵̨̢̬̼͑̅̈́̕ͅg̷̛̭̗͈̼͔͕̤̳̘̝͙̏̓̈̎̇͛̌͜͝͝ͅ ̷̞̝͓̒̏͊̇́̔͋̒̿͘S̶̻̣̲̘͇̖̤̰͂͛͑̿̎̏̀̋̑͆̌͋͘ͅy̸̝͔̝͙̩̦̦̱̭̓̔͒̉͒͌̓̑͒ͅͅs̴̱̱̲̝͕̫͒͛̌̎͆̇͂͌͆́̕͜͝͝ͅt̵͖̫̼̕ͅḛ̵͕̪̲͚̤̥̬̯̭͍̺͕̃̌̍̎̑̓̐̿́̚͜͝͝m̶̖͓̂!̸̢̣̱͕̬͚̠͔͍͇̒̋͂

**Time to Completion: 12 hours**

Gengen grimaced as his nose burned at a new stench. One even worse than rotting garbage teeming with maggots. He almost missed it over the putrid stench of cigarette smoke drifting from afar.

"Sean! Sean!" Soiree called worriedly, flying up to his face. The moogle opened Sean's eyelid and gasped when she saw his sclera had turned blood red. "Lower him to the ground, please, Gengen."

"What wrong with him?" Gengen sniffed Sean's neck, picking up the faint aroma of freshly cut grass and something he couldn't place. Something otherworldly. "And why he smell so bad?"

Soiree's sense of smell was nowhere near as strong as his, so she didn't know what he was talking about. However, that didn't mean she missed the new tide of wickedness now befouling the land. The kobold laid Sean down gently on his back, his nose confused by all the swirling scents.

The moogle shook her head. "I don't know." She cursed herself mentally, deeply regretting the fact she gave up on learning **[Esuna]** and the other healing spells. Being able to cast these spells took years of intensive study and medical knowledge that Soiree found too difficult and time-consuming to dedicate herself to. Plus, her interests lie in engineering, very typical of her race.

A short distance away, Stratoavis' body started to move once more. The decapitated head blinked and slithered its tongue out to taste the air, subconsciously relishing the rush of power gifted to it and the second chance to slaughter people. An unearthly purple aura covered the head and body, levitating both pieces closer to rejoin them whilst all the plants Jack sowed into the earth died.

The vines snapped and changed from a verdant green to a dead brown. The flowers wilted, causing their white petals to fall off. Even the last of the produce was done for. Jack's smile slipped away into a flat expression, unamused at his plants' passing. Having a deep connection to nature, Jack felt a kinship to flora that most others didn't.

The Captain narrowed his eyes at the monster imperceptibly, sensing the strange feeling from earlier more easily now.

He darted forward and swung his sword downwards, fully intending to split the head in two. Jack's claymore made contact with an invisible barrier that produced an electric crackle. Slowly but surely, his blade carved an opening and cut the other eye, reducing it to jelly. The head shrieked, mustering up energy for a **[Self-Destruct]**, but Jack was undeterred as his blade slid the rest of the way and the halves hit the earth, rapidly deteriorating into nothing.

Sensing the head's destruction, the body warped into an ethereal form, turning completely black and becoming a silhouette of its former self. Many present stared in open horror, unable to fathom how such a thing could exist.

A volley of arrows was suddenly fired from the edge of the fields where a forest had grown. Clouds of smoke covered the entire area, obscuring everyone and being too dense for their vision to pierce. The guards coughed harshly and their eyes stung from the fumes, becoming irritated and moist.

A solitary arrow struck the avian in its breast, swiftly decaying the living corpse till it was gone, leaving no shred of its existence behind.

Heavy footfalls like a cavalry stampede approached Sean's position, thundering loudly with bright yellow wings flapping in the wind. The last thing either Soiree or Gengen remembered was powder exploding in their faces before everything went dark.

Shadow moved farther into the fields and withdrew a kusarigama. He swung the kusari-fundo, the kusari being the metal chain, around over the guards' heads in a circular motion with the fundo end, the heavy iron weight. The rapid spinning of the rattling chain cleared away the smoke, revealing that all of them were okay.

Except for Sean and his party, who were nowhere to be found.

**Wedge POV**

**Earlier…**

The Police Lieutenant and Emily arrived at Kathy's Chocobo Ranch following a path leading out of the northeastern edge of town shortly after leaving the tavern.

A cozy cottage sat amidst a lush field of grass, juxtaposed against a clear blue sky like a traditional landscape painting. Trees covered in vibrant foliage dotted the back of the property. A well sat behind the house, to the left of a four-story silo which in turn stood to the left of a metal barn where the Chocobos were housed.

Every structure on Kathy's property was painted a rustic white, including the well, and the image of a Chocobo was painted above the doors to the stables.

A female gnoll with yellow fur, flecked with brown spots, stood guard over the majestic birds, keeping a close eye on them from the rail fence. White fur covered her front around her chest and stomach along with her muzzle while wild black hair spilled down her back to her tail.

Her nose picked up their combined scent, that of metal and sweat from a hard day's work, and spared them a glance with her chocolate brown eyes. Not seeing them as a threat, she returned to her watch, the gnoll's imposing figure a clear deterrent to any would-be troublemakers. Her bardiche complemented her appearance and served as yet another warning for anyone stupid enough to try anything.

A short distance away, a light brown furred kobold was carrying bags of bird seed out from the barn to the corral. He sported a red sweater with a blue horizontal strip running across the chest, little white, cartoonish bones sewn into it. A pair of light khaki overalls accompanied his ensemble, having only one strap in the form of a belt buckle going over his right shoulder.

Blue padding with extra pockets overlay his pant legs, kept on with three additional belt buckles. A pair of brown work boots finished his attire.

Muto waved at them with a friendly smile, his bright orange eyes contrasting the ugly diagonal scar between them. It traveled from the base of his muzzle to above his right eye, disappearing underneath his blue, white-striped, winter wool cap.

Wedge and Emily waved back happily, the officer less so to maintain the proper behavior befitting his position.

They watched the kobold go about his job, pouring seed into feeding trays while being followed around by chicks of various colors like a mother duck. They tweeted joyfully and playfully pecked at his wagging tail. Muto chuckled at the silly little birds and kept moving his tail out of the way. The parents kept a cautious eye out, on high alert from the Chocobo Eater's attacks, but they stayed where they were since they were accustomed to Muto's presence, finding him of good character.

Up ahead, there was a slight commotion and Wedge moved to assist whereas Emily went to the barn, no doubt where Juan was hiding.

"Woah, girl! Settle down," a feminine voice said from behind the house. The Lieutenant walked back there to find a young cowgirl wrestling with the reins of a spooked Chocobo. "What's gotten into you?"

The young woman wore a white, button-down, long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A brown vest sat over this, complemented by the Stetson on her head. She sported blue denim shorts over which she had on a belt with a harness of sorts. Most peculiar, the section of material covering her legs alternated between white and various shades of brown going all the way down to her light brown boots. Spurs were on the back of them.

"Do you require any assistance, miss?" Wedge asked politely.

The blonde-haired teenager glanced at him briefly with her light green eyes before returning to the issue at hand, mild annoyance coloring her face while her arms fought desperately to get the pink avian to calm down.

"I don't know what you're doing here, stranger," Kathy said, regarding Wedge with suspicion. Sure, she had seen him in town, but the two never conversed before now. "But if you think you can get her under control, then you're welcome to try."

Wedge calmly approached the bird, knowing full well how powerful their legs were after witnessing Biggs get kicked into a lake in one particular instance. He slowly removed his black gloves to avoid distressing the bird further. Wedge placed his hands gently upon the avian's neck and combed his fingers through its plumage, scratching lightly in certain spots. His hands slowly traveled up to the Chocobo's cheeks before going back down and repeating the process.

The avian calmed down in a slow, but sure manner and leaned into Wedge's hands, warbling contentedly at him with its blue eyes closed.

Kathy let go of the reins and rubbed her forehead with her arm. "Woo wee! Thanks for the assist, stranger." She smiled at the sight of them. "How'd you know how to calm her down?"

Wedge looked at her while his hands stayed at work. "The Police often use Chocobos to assist in various matters, Ms. Kathy, I presume."

Kathy snorted. "There isn't any need for formalities. You can just call me Kathy. It's much simpler that way."

"My apologies. Well then, Kathy. I happened to pick up a few things along the way during my training as an officer." The Police sometimes used other mounts, but Chocobos served as their main mode of transportation due to their reliability. And, with how often they encountered monsters and criminals out in the field, not to mention the birds' normally skittish natures, Wedge felt it wise to learn how to better take care of them, especially when it came to calming them down while on the job.

It wouldn't do well to find yourself in the wilderness without a fast set of legs.

"I didn't think you lot cared too much about those sorts of things." She grabbed the bird's reins once more now that her arms got a chance to rest and she gestured for Wedge to follow her back to the barn. "Figured you all just see 'em as dumb animals."

Wedge nodded. "It is true that some of my fellow officers see them that way." Biggs wasn't the only one who held that point of view. "But I feel it appropriate to treat them with proper respect."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Kathy replied, happy to see other people saw these creatures for what they were. "Now, I'm sure you didn't come all the way out here just to chat."

"You'd be right, Kathy. Has a blonde haired man come by here recently?"

"Juan's skiving off work again, huh?" She shook her head at Juan's laziness, a tad bemused how anyone can be that way. Kathy herself woke up around 5 AM every morning to take care of the ranch and got a full day's work. "He's up ahead in the barn. Said something about meeting up with Barts, but he's probably just napping again."

**Emily POV**

Upon entering the barn, Emily was quick to notice Juan sleeping on his side on the floor, right hand on his hip and his head propped up with his left.

Juan was a young man with brown eyes and blonde hair combed upwards at the front. He wore a green vest and shorts with red stripes on them, light clothing underneath, and brown wraps around his arms and legs. He also wore a traditional styled geta (a tight-fitting sandal) on his feet and white socks. Some type of herb/grass was sticking out of his mouth.

"Juan! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," Emily said.

Juan opened his tired eyes, his body maintaining the same position. "What's all the fuss about? I was just out here training, that's all."

Emily stomped her foot. "Don't give me that. You were supposed to help me work on my legs today." She reached down and plucked the sleep-inducing herb from his mouth. "And you need to stop taking this. It can't be good for your health."

"Barts is going to meet me here," Juan replied, chill as the breeze. "Thought I'd catch forty winks while I waited."

"The tomato farmer? Likely story," Emily said, thinking it another excuse to shirk his job. "You need to come back to the dojo. What if new students show up while we're away?"

"As my assistant instructor, I'm sure you can handle it." Juan closed his eyes to go back to sleep. "You're pretty capable."

Just as she was about to reply, there was a knock on one of the stables.

"Now isn't a bad time, is it?" Barts asked, hoping he wasn't interrupting anything important.

Barts was a 23-year-old man with green eyes and a black bandana covering the top of his head. Clean, auburn hair framed the sides of his face. Barts wore a brown, leather Bomber jacket with a white, furry collar. The jacket was unbuttoned except for the top one. Under this, Barts sported a teal vest with a yellow vertical accent down the middle of the front, over a black, long sleeve shirt. A pair of light green pants covered his legs, complemented by black work shoes.

Juan stood up and placed another piece of Quat in his mouth, ignoring Emily's disappointed expression. "You're right on time. Now we can get moving so I can go back to sleep."

"What's up, Barts?" Emily asked. "Are you really meeting with Juan or are you here to help Kathy?"

"There's something wrong with the soil," Barts replied with a frown. "My latest batch of tomatoes warned me of a rotting influence close by that could ruin our entire harvest if something isn't done about it."

"And with everyone else being busy, it couldn't be helped that I was stuck with this." Juan said.

"Your tomatoes?" Emily raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"It's not as farfetched as you think," Juan commented. "Those who dedicate themselves to plant-based magic can talk to them with enough practice. The other seven elements probably have something similar."

"They're pretty chatty, but they shouldn't be so ripe with concern about their looks. Heh heh!" Barts stated humorously with a smile.

"Do you know what direction the disturbance is in?" Juan asked, absentmindedly chewing on his herb. Barts nodded. "Let's get going then."

"Wait!" Emily said, standing in their way. "You're not leaving me behind again. I'm going with you."

"Settle down, all right? I won't try to stop you."

"Wedge came along with me, too," Emily informed. "He wanted to talk to you about Town Guard business."

Juan sighed. "What a drag," he muttered. "All right, having him tag along should take some of the weight off."

"Did someone call my name?" Wedge asked as he and Kathy entered the barn. The cowgirl, or rather bird girl, put the avian in its pen and left everyone else to their business. She did greet Barts with the tip of her hat in passing, receiving a nod and smile in return. The farmer has delivered corn, carrots, and other vegetables to the ranch in the past, so they were well acquainted.

"Emily said you needed to talk to me?"

Wedge nodded. "Indeed. I wanted to know if you've learned anything new concerning the tremors and quakes affecting Norwich's outskirts."

"We're actually heading out right now." Juan gestured to Barts. "He thinks he knows where the source of the problem is."

"Tag along with us, Wedge." Emily said, pumped up and ready to go. "It'll be a good chance to get in some more exercise."

"Very well. If it's to help the town, then I will gladly assist you."

"Great," Juan spoke unenthusiastically and turned to Barts. "Lead the way."

"All right. Follow me," Bart replied and they left the ranch.

**Wedge POV**

**Just before the decapitation…**

The Lieutenant yawned with his fist raised to his mouth.

"Didn't get a good night's sleep?" Emily asked in mild concern. Continuously staying up late and not getting enough hours of sleep was never a good idea, having a negative effect on the body and her daily training regimen.

"I know how you feel," Juan empathized. "Get a bit tired myself without two naps every morning and afternoon."

"If you stopped chewing those leaves, then you'd be able to train more," Emily responded, upset that Juan was squandering his potential.

"It's all part of my workout." Juan chewed on his leaf for emphasis.

Emily shook her head and turned back to Wedge. "What kept you up? Anything interesting?"

"My fellow officers and I were assigned to protect Domina and I'm pleased to report that we were able to stop a Chobin Hood attack." Wedge found no problem in telling them, having memorized the rules of the police codebook front and back.

Emily perked up, a spark of interest in her eyes. "Did everything turn out okay? Have any good fights?"

Wedge shook his head. "None whatsoever. Sean managed to catch the tribesmen by surprise with a water spell so there was no need for me to take action."

"Sean? Who's that?" Emily asked.

"A stranger with who I recently made acquaintance. His help was instrumental in saving the town."

"Is he pretty strong?"

Wedge shrugged. "I'm not aware of the extent of his strength, but he and myself, along with three others, slew a Du'Inke in Mekiv Caverns not too long ago…which reminds me." The Lieutenant paused and pulled out the slip of paper that Sean handed him last time they talked.

"Excuse me, Juan, but have you heard of any of these terms?" He asked, catching the lazy martial artist's attention. Wedge held the piece of paper out to Juan, who took it and read the short list. "Sean made it sound like they were vitally important."

"No, I don't recall any of these." Juan handed the sheet back. Wedge showed the list to Emily earlier and received the same answer.

"That's unfortunate, but thank you all the same."

Juan exhaled. "I keep telling you there's no need to be so formal all the time."

"Sorry, I…Barts? Have you found something?"

The farmer came to a stop, the green light shining from his eyes fading as a dizzy spell overtook him. Barts remained silent since their departure from the ranch, focusing solely on the task at hand. His ability to communicate with plants extended to grass and they spoke to him of a rot slowly spreading within the earth, the talkative turf pointing him in the right direction.

Barts shook his head. "Sorry about that. The grass was saying the root of the problem should be just ahead." He punned.

"Think that's them?" Juan asked rhetorically, gesturing with his head.

Out in the country, there wasn't much to see other than plains of grass, groupings of trees, and the odd pond. Dead ahead of them, there was a bare patch of earth. A large boulder rested at its center. The monsters' presence was too obvious.

"I believe so, yes," Wedge replied, withdrawing his sword.

"All right, let's do this!" Emily exclaimed, eager for battle.

Barts stood a safe distance back to give them room, but didn't stray too far away to where he was in danger.

"All right, then." Juan spit out the quat and shot forward with his tired expression still in place.

The Bujutsu master performed a flying kick on the boulder and broke it into pieces with minimal effort, showering the earth with tiny bits of stone and launching its occupant 10 feet away. **[Defender X]** picked itself back up and "glowered" balefully at the lazy man.

The golem's body was comprised entirely of light brown and forest green stone, partially eroded by water and time and caked with dirt. Both of its four-fingered hands and each of its legs had sections with symbols etched into them. The four stones on the back of its hands were arranged circularly while the parts on the legs were two plates.

Its left shoulder was a large, solid cube while the right had substantially crumbled away. The face was just two hollows carved to mimic eyes and green above to imitate angrily furrowed eyebrows. Below the eyes, there was an area made to resemble a man's abdomen, but more likely an open mouth since spikes of light brown stone were carved around it to look like teeth.

"Come here. I'll take you on." Juan beckoned the earthly ten-foot-tall automaton.

The golem accepted his challenge and lumbered towards him, swinging its fists up into the air and throwing them both down diagonally at his head. Juan easily dodged the first fist of the **[Haymaker]** and knocked the second to the side with a palm strike, causing the golem to stumble forward.

Juan calmly grabbed ahold of its arm and sunk his fingers into the stone strong enough to where spider web cracks formed. Lashing out with his foot, Juan kicked the golem's leg out from under it and performed a shoulder throw, slamming the golem onto its back which left an impression in the ground.

Juan then stomped his foot flat on its mouth, breaking the body into two. Defender X became motionless and Juan dusted his hands off, walking back to the group.

"That was an exemplary display of combat," Wedge complimented, putting his sword away.

"Yeah, no kidding," Emily muttered disappointedly, her hopes for a good fight dashed.

"It was no big deal."

The upper half of Defender X started to move and it slowly raised its arm, shooting it at Juan for one final attack.

**[Blast Punch]**

"Look out!"

Juan simply grabbed the arm when it entered his range. Turning with its propulsion, Juan redirected the arm back at Defender X. The move hit its target with a mighty crash, kicking up a cloud of dust. When it cleared, all that was left was rubble, no hope of the monster returning.

"Like I said, nothing to get worked up about," Juan stated.

"Does anyone else feel that that was perhaps too easy?" Wedge asked.

"Guys, I think we have trouble," Barts said uneasily, noticing dark energy that was invisible to the others rise from the golem's remains and shoot off elsewhere. "We may have just opened Pandora's Box."

"It's probably nothing we can't handle." Juan replied assuredly, not too concerned about the troubles the future would bring.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

**Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 9. Sorry it's been over four months since I've updated, but I was busy with school until a couple months ago and other things have been going on. This chapter kind of kicked my ass a bit too. While writing the drafts, I kept finding more problems and kept getting better ideas.**

**Originally, I was going to have Sean and his party kill most of the flock and then have reinforcements get called in and have him wind up in a sword fight. I then realized something. Norwich has existed for years within the story. The people protecting it would have to be competent for it to still be standing instead of waiting for Sean to come along.**

**In case anyone brings it up, the part with the rats enjoying the rain is not racial commentary. I read somewhere that brown rats tend to like water more than black ones. And a dog's sense of smell is much greater than ours.**

**Anyway, thanks for sticking with this story and the next chapter probably won't be up for a while.**

**(Update: 7/15/20): I recently finished the stats page and it wasn't until I posted it on this site that I experienced how much of a strain on the eye it was to read through everything. I've decided to leave it off the site for now. Some "Gamer" story writers include them, but I think most leave them out.**

**Please leave a review.**


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